Baptism of the Lord

11 January 2026

Bible readings for today

Collect

Glorious God,
your Son was baptised by John and anointed by the Holy Spirit.
Grant that all the baptised may have grace and humility to fulfil all righteousness, and live into being your beloved sons and daughters.
We ask this through the beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Jesus is Baptised by John (Matthew 3:13-17)

John the Baptist anticipated a messiah who would be greater than himself. John is portrayed as the forerunner of Jesus who prepares the people for Jesus' ministry. The Baptism of Jesus is also found in Luke 3:15-17, 21-22.

Bible stories with pictures

We stumbled across a great website with some John the Baptist lesson resources, with a John the Baptist story with illustrations, and group discussion questions
Download here

Activities

Worksheet (Cartoon Church)
John the Baptist Games (Sermons 4 Kids)
Baking Paper Craft (Jesus without Language)
Story Boxes (Pretty or Practical)
Colouring in sheet (Flame Creative)
Fuzzy Felt (Flame Creative)

Glitter bottles

What you need:

Small bottles or jars, 1 per child (make sure they have lids)
water
glitter/sequins/beads
glycerin (you'll need a drop or two per bottle or jar)
newspaper
funnels
eye dropper
Food colouring if desired

What you do:

Cover your work space with newspaper
Give each child a bottle or jar (make sure they're plastic for your younger children)
Have children put some glitter/sequins/beads in their bottle
Add water
Add 2-3 drops of glycerin
Add a drop of food colouring if desired
Seal bottle

This makes a lovely watery piece of art!

Children's talk

What you need: A bowl of water, hand soap, towel.
What you do: Set up the bowl of water, soap and towel on a table.
Say something like: When was the last time you got dirty? I mean really dirty! Maybe you were playing in the dirt or fixing a car or clearing out the attic. Can you think of what you were doing? Tell the person next to you. What did you do to get clean again? (allow a few answers). My hands are a bit dirty, so I'm going to wash them in this basin. Maybe you used soap and water or got in a shower or bath or jumped in the pool or used a hose. Those are all great ways to get clean on the outside. But what happens when we're dirty on the inside? What happens when we've lied or hurt someone or taken something that doesn't belong to us? Will washing in this basin help those things go away? No, not really. We can be spotless on the outside, but still be full of mess on the inside.

When we're baptised, and when Jesus was baptised, it looks like a washing up on the outside, but it's more than that. Baptism is a way of showing that we want to be washed up and clean on the inside, too. When we're baptised, it's like saying that we're sorry for the bad things we've done and we want a new start. And God always forgives us. That makes a lot of sense for us, because we do bad things a lot. Sometimes we do them without knowing, sometimes we know that what we're doing is wrong. We need to be cleaned up on the inside. But Jesus never did anything wrong. He didn't need to be cleaned up or forgiven, but he still got baptised. That made him extra close to all of us, doing something that we do. When God looked at Jesus, he sent his holy spirit, in the form of a dove down. Then God said that he loved Jesus very much and was really, really pleased with him! God is pleased with us, too, when we want to be clean on the inside and on the outside!

Children's talk for younger kids

Sit the children down and ask them if they know what baptism is, have they been to one etc? Do they know if they are baptised? Then read them the story from the Beginner’s bible of Jesus’ baptism. Talk about the symbol of water - it washes us clean, makes us feel fresh.Often peole like to shower first thing in the morning so they are ready to start the new day! Jesus didn’t need to be baptised but he chose to start his work on earth by being baptised, it marked the start of his work of telling people about God his father and teaching them how to live as God wants us to. God was so happy with Jesus and all the good work he was doing that he said it aloud for everyone to hear! God is also pleased with you when you try hard to be kind to other people and love them and to remember all the things Jesus taught us. We will make a picture of Jesus’ baptism to help you remember!

Talk for older kids

Baptism! What is baptism? Why do we get baptised? What are some of the symbols?
Get out the bibles and find and read the passage together, taking turns. Then talk about - do they think Jesus needed to be baptised? Why did he choose to be baptised? Why did God choose to speak out loud and send a dove?
Talk about the symbols of baptism. Talk about how when you baptised the priest signs you with a cross on your forehead, like a secret sign of belonging to God. If you have been baptised then you will always have that invisible sign of God’s love on your forehead! If you haven’t been you might like to think about arranging to, just talk to the your church leader!

Media

Saddleback Kids: Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist

Saddleback Kids: Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, for toddlers.

Mina Munns - the Baptism of Jesus