March 1, 2026
Bulletins are posted on the day prior.
Sunday, March 1st
9:30 a.m. Worship Service
PRELUDE
“Flute Sonata in E Minor”
Johann Sebastian Bach
I. Adagio
II. Allegro
INTROIT
Spread Love (9:30 a.m.)
Pastor Fred Wilson
“How Am I to Live, Lord”
Ben Allaway
How am I to live, Lord, save you show the way? How am I to give, Lord? Search my life this day.
Loving with my heart, your heart in me a flame. I will learn to live your love serving in your name.
DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; praise God above, ye heavenly host; Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.† Amen.
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: From water to wilderness: God’s covenant continues; God’s kingdom comes near.
All: All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness; we put our trust in God.
One: The God of our salvation teaches us right paths and leads us in truth.
All: Where Jesus leads, we would follow. Let us worship God!
HYMN 49
“The God of Abraham Praise”
The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above, the Ancient of Eternal Days, the God of love! The Lord, the great I am, by earth and heaven confessed, we bow before your holy name, forever blest.
Your spirit still flows free, high surging where it will. In prophet’s word you spoke of old and you speak still. Established is your law, and changeless it shall stand, deep writ upon the human heart by your strong hand.
Your goodly land we seek, with peace and plenty blest, a land of sacred liberty and Sabbath rest. There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound, and trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned.
You have eternal life implanted in the soul; your love shall be our strength and stay, while ages roll. We praise you, living God! We praise your holy name: the first, the last, beyond all thought, and still the same!
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gracious God, we come before you in need of forgiveness and grace. You invite us to trust in you completely, but we do not. We can be timid and fearful to follow your lead. Your call to serve others with humility and compassion can feel heavy and burdensome, rather than light and the way to fullness of life. Forgive us, we pray. Forgive us when we seek to justify what is, rather than to risk what could be by enacting your love more fully. We pray in the name of the One who risked it all, our brother and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Extinguishing the Second Lenten Candle
Kyrie, Hymn 551
Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy upon us.
DECLARATION OF PARDON
One: Friends, believe the good news.
All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
One: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
All: And also with you.
We invite you to greet those around you, wishing them “peace” or “the peace of Christ,” and encourage those online to text or email someone to let them know you are thinking of them.
Children age three through grade five are invited to come forward during the passing of the peace.
TIME WITH CHILDREN
(9:30) Children depart for Sunday School with their teachers.
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Listening for the Word
First Scripture Reading
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills — from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
One: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
*Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:† as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.
Second Scripture Reading
John 3:1–17
Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Sermon
Unlikely Friends: Nicodemus
Camille Cook Howe
Responding to the Word
*Hymn 618
O love, how deep, how broad, how high, beyond all thought and fantasy, that God, the Son of God, should take our mortal form for mortals’ sake.
For us baptized, for us he bore his holy fast and hungered sore; for us temptations sharp he knew, for us, the tempter overthrew.
For us by wickedness betrayed, for us, in crown of thorns arrayed, he bore the shameful cross and death; for us gave up his dying breath.
For us he rose from death again; for us he went on high to reign; for us he sent the Spirit here to guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.
All glory to our Lord and God, for love so deep, so high, so broad: the Trinity whom we adore forever and forevermore.
Call to Offering
Offertory Anthem
“God So Loved the World”
John Stainer
God so loved the world. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who so believeth, believeth in him should not perish, should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world. God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
OFFERTORY RESPONSE
Hymn 652, v. 1
A grateful heart is what I bring, a song of praise, my offering. Among the saints I lift my voice: in you, O God, I will rejoice.
Sealing the Word
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Invitation
Prayer of Great Thanksgiving
One: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts.
All: We will lift them up to the Lord.
One: Let us give thanks to God.
All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Prayer
One: . . . forever singing to the glory of your name:
Sanctus (sung) The Hymnal, 565
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power, God of might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.
One: . . . Great is the mystery of faith:
Memorial Acclamation (sung)
The Hymnal, 566
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. (repeat)
The Lord’s Prayer (unison)
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
The Communion
Communion Anthem
“I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes” Thomas Matthews
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” Spiritual
Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home. I looked over Jordan, and what did I see? Coming for to carry me home? A band of angels, coming after me, coming for to carry me home. If you get there before I do, coming for to carry me home, tell all my friends I’m coming too, coming for to carry me home. I’m sometimes up and sometimes down, coming for to carry me home, but still my soul feels heavenly bound, coming for to carry me home.
*Prayer after Communion adapted from John H. Boyle
O God of goodness and justice, source of grace and wellspring of joy, we give thanks for your faithfulness and care. Help us to remember those who weep even as we worship and who hunger even as we feast at your table. As you send us from this place into the world outside, let your Spirit prompt us to dry tears, give bread, and spread hope. Amen.
Bearing the Word into the World
HYMN
“Lift High the Cross”
Refrain: Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name.
Come, Christians, follow where our Savior trod, the Lamb victorious, Christ, the Son of God. (Refrain)
All newborn servants of the Crucified bear on their brow the seal of Christ who died. (Refrain)
O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, your death has brought us life eternally. (Refrain)
So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory. (Refrain)
*Charge and Benediction
Choral Benediction
“Go Now In Peace”
Robert Lau
Postlude
“Praeludium in E Minor”
Nicholas Bruhns
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
CHORAL BENEDICTION
Day by Day
Harold Friedell
Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray; to see thee more clearly, to love thee more dearly,
to follow thee more nearly, day by day.
POSTLUDE
Avsked (Farewell)
Simon Zöchbauer
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