Join us in person or live-streamed at 10AM or find our recorded service at your convenience. Details on our Worship page. Service words are below.
Prelude: Lord Jesus, Of You I Will Sing
Acknowledgement
Welcome
Gathering Hymn: 456 CP He Comes to Us as One Unknown
He comes to us as one unknown, a breath unseen, unheard;
as though within a heart of stone, or shriveled seed in darkness sown,
a pulse of being stirred.
He comes when souls in silence lie and thoughts of day depart,
half-seen upon the inward eye, a falling star across the sky
of night within the heart.
He comes to us in sound of seas, the ocean’s fume and foam;
yet small and still upon the breeze, a wind that stirs the tops of trees,
a voice to call us home.
He comes in love as he once came by flesh and blood and birth;
to bear within our mortal frame a life, a death, a saving name
for every child of earth.
He comes in truth when faith is grown; believed, obeyed, adored:
the Christ in all the scriptures shown, as yet unseen, but not unknown,
our Saviour, and our Lord.
Gathering Sentences (Sanctified Art)
What is it like to begin again?
It is like flowers in the spring that push through frozen ground.
It is like babies learning to walk, one clumsy step at a time.
It is like Nicodemus in the night, asking Jesus for guidance.
It is like a Sunday morning, starting our week anew.
May we find God in our seeking.
May we learn as we go.
May we be brave enough to begin again.
Let us worship the God of new beginnings.
Prayer for Illumination
Holy God, we come to you today with our biggest questions: Who are we called to be? What do you need from us? Where are you in our midst? How can we follow you more clearly? As we read your Word today, we ask that you would weave answers into the text. Speak to us through these ancient stories that we might find what we are seeking in you. With gratitude and open hearts we pray, amen
Lenten Cross Liturgy
(Four purple candles, pink candle and Christ candle are lit prior to worship)
Reader: Last Sunday, we put out the first candle, reminding us of how we hurt God's creation.
Today, we will put out the second candle, as we remember those times when we have
not trusted fully in God's promises.
Reader: We think of Abraham and Sarah who trusted in God's promise that they would have
many descendants, even though they seemed to be past their child-bearing years.
When Isaac was born he became known as the child of promise. His name means
laughter.
Reader: All children are signs of God's promise. Like Abraham and Sarah, let us trust God and
be filled with laughter.
Reader: We put out the second candle as we reflect upon how often we fail to live up to our
calling as God's covenant people. We ignore the sign of God's promise in our midst,
trust in our own strength alone, and forget how to laugh with joy.
(2nd candle is extinguished.)
Let us pray: O God, we confess that we have put our hope in many things - our families, our jobs,
our friends, our possessions. Help us to put our trust in you. May your constant love be
with us and fill our lives with healing laughter. Amen.
Collect of the Day (together)
Holy God, whose Spirit’s breath prompts our seeking: transform the night-time of our fear into a welcoming womb for us and all the world; through Jesus Christ, in whom we are born anew. Amen. (Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009) alt)
The Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the book, Genesis 12.1–4a
Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Listen for God’s word coming to us in scripture Our hearts and minds are open
Psalm 121 (I Lift My Eyes)
I lift my eyes up to the hills; From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Maker of The heavens and the earth.
He will not let my foot be moved; He keeps my journey safe.
O my soul, praise the Lord most high; Strong to save, He upholds my life.
Forevermore He will be my light. I lift my eyes up to the Lord most high.
He is the shade at my right hand, my shelter in the storm;
No sun by day, nor moon by night shall ever bring me harm.
He will not slumber, will not sleep; He watches all my ways.
O my soul, praise the Lord most high; Strong to save, He upholds my life.
Forevermore He will be my light. I lift my eyes up to the Lord most high.
I lift my eyes up to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Maker of The heavens and the earth,
The God of Israel is my guide wherever I may go;
And in his strength I will abide, until He leads me home.
O my soul, praise the Lord most high; Strong to save, He upholds my life.
Forevermore He will be my light. I lift my eyes up to the Lord most high.
O my soul, praise the Lord most high; Strong to save, He upholds my life.
Forevermore He will be my light. I lift my eyes up to the Lord most high.
I lift my eyes up to the Lord most high.
A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans 4.1–5, 13–17
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Listen for God’s word coming to us in scripture Our hearts and minds are open
Gradual Hymn: 410 CP Creating God, Your Fingers Trace
Creating God, your fingers trace the bold designs of farthest space;
let sun and moon and stars and light and what lies hidden praise your might.
Sustaining God, your hands uphold earth’s mysteries known or yet untold;
let waters fragile blend with air, enabling life, proclaim your care.
Redeeming God, your arms embrace all now despised for creed or race;
let peace, descending like a dove, make known on earth your healing love.
Indwelling God, your gospel claims one family with a billion names;
let every life be touched by grace until we praise you face to face.
The Lord be with you And also with you The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John 3.1–17
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to 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.
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
An Affirmation of Faith (Sanctified Art)
We believe in a God who meets us in the shadows,
who welcomes our questions, who invites us to begin again.
We believe that Jesus showed us a new way,
a deeper faith, a more compassionate existence.
We believe that all of our beginnings should return us to this foundation,
and that no matter how many times we lose our way,
God always welcomes us home. Amen
Prayers of Intercession
As we seek in this Lenten time to grow in our faith, let us pray for the life of the world.
That the whole church may return to the font this Lent and through the promises of baptism be found faithful to our citizenship that is in heaven, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That those preparing for Easter baptism will discover God’s ever-widening covenant embrace,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That the nations find peace this season, that trust be rebuilt and enemies become neighbors, and for the peace of Jerusalem, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That all exiles and refugees find comfort and welcome in the kind embrace of others,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That those who suffer illness of body or mind (especially) may receive God’s gracious healing,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That the leaders of this congregation may serve in imitation of Christ and faithfully guide us,
let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
That together with St. Paul and all the saints, and all the faithful departed, we may at last find a home in the heavenly Jerusalem, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Grant these prayers, merciful God, and all that we need, as we eagerly await the Easter feast; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Call to Confession
Confession offers us a new beginning. In the prayer of confession, we lay our cards on the table. We speak honestly with God about who we are and who we long to be. And in response, God wraps us in grace and lets us begin again. So together, with God’s grace, let us wipe the slate clean. Together, with God’s grace, let us pray the prayer of confession
Prayer of Confession
God of new life, you call us into unknown places,
and we bury our heads in the sand.
You promise all the stars in the sky,
and we doubt it can be true.
You speak of new life in the Spirit,
and we tell ourselves we’ve missed our chance.
Over and over and over again, you invite us closer to you.
Show us the way. Forgive our mistakes. Give us the courage to begin again with you. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Family of faith, hear and believe this good news: There is a grace to God’s love that is bigger than we can imagine. No matter what we did or didn’t do yesterday, we have been forgiven. Today, the slate is wiped clean. Today, we are made new.
We are forgiven. We are invited. We belong. Thanks be to God for a love like that. Amen.
The Peace
Offertory Hymn: 623 CP A Mother’s Labour Bears Her Child
A mother’s labour bears her child. She shares creation’s agony. The water’s break anticipates the hour of her delivery. And by the labour of our cross our mother Christ has brought to birth into his own eternal life the sons and daughters of the earth. A mother’s body nourishes her child she comforts at her breast; and Jesus feeds us of himself, in his own life our living blessed. And by the labour of our cross our mother Christ has brought to birth into his own eternal life the sons and daughters of the earth.
Prayer over the Gifts
God of wisdom, may the light of the eternal Word, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, guide us to your glory. We ask this in his name. Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving (“Adapted from a prayer by Rev. Sarah A. Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC)
The Invitation
Friends, if we are honest with ourselves and with God, we are all seeking something. Some of us long for a place to belong. Others seek permission to be who we are made to be.
Some of us are hungry for connection, hungry for justice, or hungry for a glimpse of the Divine.
No matter what it is your soul longs for, there is good news to be found here.
Friends, this is Christ’s table. We are the guests. He is the host. There is a seat here with your name on it. Thanks be to God for a love like that.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God. It is right to give God thanks and praise.
God of the lost and the found, surely it is right for us to give our thanks and praise; for day after day we look for you, and day after day we find you: in the laugher of children, in the sun rising over the horizon, in the flowers of spring.
Our seeking does not go unanswered, and for that we are grateful and we lift our voices to sing.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest. Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
So first and foremost, we come to you in prayer to say thank you,
for when we’re seeking beauty, you give us mountains and freckles, green eyes and brown eyes.
When we we’re looking for reason to hope, you give us rainbows after the storm, and candles flickering in the window.
When we’re seeking peace, you give us three-part harmony and the sound of the rain.
And when we’re seeking justice, your life reminds us that everyone is welcome at your Table, and none shall be turned away. For all these reminders we are deeply grateful.
And yet, gracious God, our seeking does not stop. For even though your fingerprints are all over this world, we are not yet at your promised day.
Long before this building was erected in open spaces and hard places,
people heard of how on the night of Jesus’ arrest,
and aware of what lay ahead of him, Jesus sat at the table with his friends.
During the meal, he took bread, blessed and broke it and saying “This is my body, given for you.”
Later in the meal he took a cup of wine, saying, “In this cup is the new relationship with God
made possible because of my death. Drink it all of you.”
And as we see and as we seek, pour out your Spirit on this ordinary bread and cup. May this meal be the nourishment we need to continue seeking you in the world.
So in addition to our gratitude, we also pray today for conviction. Do not let us get comfortable with half-hearted seeking. Do not let us grow numb to the suffering of this world. Make us relentless in our pursuit of justice—relentless in our consoling of the grieving, in our welcoming of the stranger, and in the feeding of the hungry.
Until your promised day, we will pray.
Until your promised day, we will seek, singing:
Lord’s Prayer (Cameron)
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread,
Communion in Christ’s body once broken.
Let your Church be the wheat which bears its fruit in dying.
If we have died with him, we shall live with him; if we hold firm, we shall reign with him.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God
Thanks be to God
The Communion
Hymns during Distribution: MV 5 Holy Spirit, You’re Like the Wind
The Shape of a Cross
Prayer after Communion
God of manna and mustard seeds, we came to this Table hungry and we leave feeling full— full of hope, full of promise, full of what could be.
For we not only found glimpses of you at this Table, but we caught a glimpse of the way things could be: in a meal where all are welcomed and all are fed. Is there anything holier than that? So thank you for nourishing our curiosity alongside our spirit and our conviction.
May we always seek you the way you seek after us. With grateful hearts we pray, Amen.
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing As you leave this place, may God bless you with seeking. Seek out the hungry. Seek the weary. Seek the good in every person you pass. Seek out the hopeful. Seek the faithful. Seek God in each of us. As you seek and as you wonder, may you find what you are looking for. In the name of our loving God, who is always seeking us. Amen
Announcements
Closing Hymn: VU 639 One More Step Along the World I Go
One more step along the world I go, one more step along the world I go, from the old things to the new, keep me traveling along with you: Chorus: And it's from the old I travel to the new; keep me traveling along with you. Round the corners of the world I turn, more and more about the world I learn; all the new things that I see you'll be looking at along with me: Chorus As I travel through the bad and good, keep me traveling the way I should; where I see no way to go you'll be telling me the way, I know: Chorus
Give me courage when the world is rough, keep me loving though the world is tough; leap and sing in all I do, keep me traveling along with you: Chorus You are older than the world can be, you are younger than the life in me; ever old and ever new, keep me traveling along with you: Chorus
Dismissal Go now in peace to love and serve God
Thanks be to God. Amen
Postlude: You Found Me – The Fray