FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ORDER OF WORSHIP
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
MARCH 1, 2026
PRELUDE Variation Set on “St. Thomas”, Williams/Lasky
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP at 9:30ish AM at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House.
-LENTEN SOUP SUPPER will be held on Wednesday, March 4 at 5:30 PM in FPC’s Fellowship Hall. The soup is being provided by Men’s Brotherhood. All are welcome!
- THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY at 9:30 AM, Center Meeting Room
-MISSION/OUTREACH COMMITTEE will meet Thursday at 11:45 following Bible study.
-DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME begins Sunday, March 8—set forward your clocks 1 hour on Saturday evening
-CE/FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE will meet next Sunday, March 8 following worship service.
CALL TO WORSHIP
We come with questions — Questions about faith, about life, about what God is doing.
God meets us with love.
God invites us into new life through Christ.
Let us worship the One who welcomes our questions and leads us into deeper trust.
*OPENING HYMN #357 (blue) “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
O Master, let me walk with Thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret; help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the homeward way.
Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee
In closer, dearer company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future's broadening way;
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.
*CALL TO CONFESSION and *PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gracious and loving God, You call us into new life, yet we often hold back. We come with questions - but instead of bringing them to you, we sometimes let them turn into doubt or distance. When we do not understand, we grow impatient. We ask for certainty when you call us to faith. We cling to what we can control rather than surrendering to your Spirit. Forgive us. Strengthen us where our trust is weak. And lead us into the life you promise - a life shaped by confidence in your love. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
*GLORIA PATRI (on screen)
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.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE READING
Genesis 12:1-4a
1Now 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.
2I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3I 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.”
4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.
Psalm 121 (responsive)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills --
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
Gospel Reading John 3:1-17
1Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He 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.”
3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus 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?”5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The 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.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?11“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. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16“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. 17“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 Meeting Jesus with Questions
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (1 Timothy 3:16)
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory. Amen
*HYMN OF RESPONSE (handout/on screen) “Ye Must Be Born Again”
A ruler once came to Jesus by night
To ask him the way of salvation and light;
The Master made answer in words true and plain,
“Ye must be born again.”
Refrain:
“Ye must be born again,” “Ye must be born again,”
I verily, verily say unto thee, “Ye must be born again.”
Ye children of men, attend to the word
So solemnly uttered by Jesus the Lord;
And let not this message to you be in vain:
“Ye must be born again.” [Refrain]
O ye who would enter that glorious rest
And sing with the ransomed the song of the blest,
The life everlasting if ye would obtain,
“Ye must be born again.” [Refrain]
SERVICE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
HANDBELLS – An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare
INVITATION TO THE TABLE
HYMN #94 (blue) (V 1, 2) “An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare”
An upper room did our Lord prepare
For those He loved until the end:
And His disciples still gather there
To celebrate their risen Friend.
A lasting gift Jesus gave His own:
To share His bread, His loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
He by His cross shall lift us up.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you And also with you
Lift up your hearts We lift them to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right to give our thanks and praise.
… And so we join our voices with all who speak your name,
to praise you with unending joy:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
…… make us one as we partake of these your gifts so we might be in communion with you and one another.
As we break bread together, may our eyes be opened to
see your glory.
As we lift the cup of salvation, may we be strengthened to
follow your Way.
…we pray as Jesus taught his disciples The Lord’s Prayer
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.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION AND BREAKING OF THE BREAD
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
OFFERING OF OURSELVES AND OUR RESOURCES
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen
*CLOSING HYMN #355 (blue) “Hear the Good News of Salvation”
Hear the good news of salvation: Jesus died to show God’s love.
Such great kindness! Such great mercy! Come to us from heaven above.
Jesus Christ, how much I love You! Jesus Christ, You save from sin!
How I love You! Look upon me. Love me still and cleanse within.
All the sins I have committed to my Savior now I bring.
I bow down with tears of anguish; Christ forgives and so I sing:
Jesus Christ, how much I love You! Jesus Christ, You save from sin!
How I love You! Look upon me. Love me still and cleanse within.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Ach wie N=nichtig, ach wie flüchtig, J.S. Bach
ORDER OF WORSHIP
SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
MARCH 1, 2026
PRELUDE Variation Set on “St. Thomas”, Williams/Lasky
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
-TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP at 9:30ish AM at First Lutheran Mission Coffee House.
-LENTEN SOUP SUPPER will be held on Wednesday, March 4 at 5:30 PM in FPC’s Fellowship Hall. The soup is being provided by Men’s Brotherhood. All are welcome!
- THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY at 9:30 AM, Center Meeting Room
-MISSION/OUTREACH COMMITTEE will meet Thursday at 11:45 following Bible study.
-DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME begins Sunday, March 8—set forward your clocks 1 hour on Saturday evening
-CE/FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE will meet next Sunday, March 8 following worship service.
CALL TO WORSHIP
We come with questions — Questions about faith, about life, about what God is doing.
God meets us with love.
God invites us into new life through Christ.
Let us worship the One who welcomes our questions and leads us into deeper trust.
*OPENING HYMN #357 (blue) “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”
O Master, let me walk with Thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me Thy secret; help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the homeward way.
Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee
In closer, dearer company,
In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
In trust that triumphs over wrong.
In hope that sends a shining ray
Far down the future's broadening way;
In peace that only Thou canst give,
With Thee, O Master, let me live.
*CALL TO CONFESSION and *PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gracious and loving God, You call us into new life, yet we often hold back. We come with questions - but instead of bringing them to you, we sometimes let them turn into doubt or distance. When we do not understand, we grow impatient. We ask for certainty when you call us to faith. We cling to what we can control rather than surrendering to your Spirit. Forgive us. Strengthen us where our trust is weak. And lead us into the life you promise - a life shaped by confidence in your love. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
*GLORIA PATRI (on screen)
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.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION and SCRIPTURE READING
Genesis 12:1-4a
1Now 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.
2I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3I 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.”
4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.
Psalm 121 (responsive)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills --
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
Gospel Reading John 3:1-17
1Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He 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.”
3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus 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?”5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The 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.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”
10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?11“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. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16“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. 17“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 Meeting Jesus with Questions
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (1 Timothy 3:16)
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up in glory. Amen
*HYMN OF RESPONSE (handout/on screen) “Ye Must Be Born Again”
A ruler once came to Jesus by night
To ask him the way of salvation and light;
The Master made answer in words true and plain,
“Ye must be born again.”
Refrain:
“Ye must be born again,” “Ye must be born again,”
I verily, verily say unto thee, “Ye must be born again.”
Ye children of men, attend to the word
So solemnly uttered by Jesus the Lord;
And let not this message to you be in vain:
“Ye must be born again.” [Refrain]
O ye who would enter that glorious rest
And sing with the ransomed the song of the blest,
The life everlasting if ye would obtain,
“Ye must be born again.” [Refrain]
SERVICE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
HANDBELLS – An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare
INVITATION TO THE TABLE
HYMN #94 (blue) (V 1, 2) “An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare”
An upper room did our Lord prepare
For those He loved until the end:
And His disciples still gather there
To celebrate their risen Friend.
A lasting gift Jesus gave His own:
To share His bread, His loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
He by His cross shall lift us up.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you And also with you
Lift up your hearts We lift them to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right to give our thanks and praise.
… And so we join our voices with all who speak your name,
to praise you with unending joy:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
…… make us one as we partake of these your gifts so we might be in communion with you and one another.
As we break bread together, may our eyes be opened to
see your glory.
As we lift the cup of salvation, may we be strengthened to
follow your Way.
…we pray as Jesus taught his disciples The Lord’s Prayer
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.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION AND BREAKING OF THE BREAD
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
OFFERING OF OURSELVES AND OUR RESOURCES
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen
*CLOSING HYMN #355 (blue) “Hear the Good News of Salvation”
Hear the good news of salvation: Jesus died to show God’s love.
Such great kindness! Such great mercy! Come to us from heaven above.
Jesus Christ, how much I love You! Jesus Christ, You save from sin!
How I love You! Look upon me. Love me still and cleanse within.
All the sins I have committed to my Savior now I bring.
I bow down with tears of anguish; Christ forgives and so I sing:
Jesus Christ, how much I love You! Jesus Christ, You save from sin!
How I love You! Look upon me. Love me still and cleanse within.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE Ach wie N=nichtig, ach wie flüchtig, J.S. Bach
