Sunday March 15, 2026 Worship Service
Livestream at 11:10 a.m.

Gathering in God’s Name

Prelude — Prelude and Fugue, Op. 16, No. 3 — Clara Schumann
As the prelude begins, you are invited to begin your personal preparation for worship.

Silent Meditation                                                                                                         
The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he ‘likes’ them:  the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds him liking more and more people as he goes on.  — C.S. Lewis

Call to Worship — from Psalm 146
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
       I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to God all my life long.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord:
       Who made heaven and earth, and all that is in them.
Who executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.
       The Lord sets the prisoner free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
       The Lord watches over the strangers and upholds the orphan and the widow,
But the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
       The Lord will reign forever. Praise the Lord!                   

Praise and Adoration

*Hymn #766 —  The Church of Christ Cannot Be Bound  — MC KEE   
(*Please stand, if you are able)

Confession and Pardon

Call to Confession

Prayer of Confession
Almighty and merciful God, we continue to want more, blind to the blessings we already possess. We want everything now, blind to the value of patience and hard work. We take so much delight in our own accomplishments that we are blind to people in need. Forgive us! Cleanse us of our anxiousness and pride. Help us see the world with your eyes so that we can be people of gratitude, courage and compassion, because of what we see in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Silent Prayers of Confession and Petition

Kyrie Eleison #575 — Lord, Have Mercy upon Us — KYRIE ELEISON (Pardini)

Assurance of Pardon
In Lent, our congregation “buries the alleluias,” a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages.
This absence is meant to heighten Easter’s joy, when alleluias return in full force.

*Welcome                            

Announcements

Fellowship of Prayer

Joys and Concerns

Prayers of the People                    
The Lord’s Prayer — sung by Chamber Singers  Scott Perkins

Proclamation of God’s Word

Scripture Lesson — John 9 — page 871 of the pew Bible

Sermon — “Do You Also Want to Become His Disciple?” — Dr. Zieman

Prayer

Presentation of Tithes and Offerings

Offertory — Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said — arr. Howard Helvey

The Sacrament of Holy Communion
The elders will serve you in the pews.  All baptized Christians are invited to partake.
We ask that you hold on to the piece of bread or the cup until all have been served, so that we may partake as one body. 

Invitation to the Lord’s Table

*Thanksgiving for the Work of God in Creation
With joy we praise you, gracious God, for you have created heaven and earth, made us in your image, and kept covenant with us— even when we fell into sin.  We give you thanks for Jesus Christ, our Lord, by whose grace we may triumph over temptation, be more fervent in prayer, and be more generous in love.  Therefore, we join our voices with all the saints and angels and the whole creation to proclaim the glory of your name.

*Sanctus (#569) — Holy, Holy, Holy — SANCTUS (Oliver)

The Words of Institution

Serving the Bread — The pastors will walk down the aisles with gluten–free bread.

Communion Anthem — None Other Lamb — Dan Forrest

 Serving the Cup — When I Survey the Wondrous Cross — arr. Diane Bish

*Prayer of Thanksgiving (responsive)   
Pastor:
You are holy, O God of majesty, and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. He took upon himself the weight of our sin and carried the burden of our guilt. He shared our life in every way, and, though tempted, was sinless to the end. Baptized as your own, he went willingly to his death and by your power was raised to new life. In his dying and rising, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

People:
God of love, as in Jesus Christ you gave yourself to us, so may we give ourselves to you, living according to your holy will. Keep our feet firmly in the way where Christ leads us; make our mouths speak the truth that Christ teaches us; fill our bodies with the life that is Christ within us.  In his holy name we pray. Amen.

*Hymn #817 — We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight — DUNLAP’S CREEK

*Charge and Benediction

Postlude — Andante for Organ — Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel