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Message: By the Well / John 4:19-26

Today’s Gospel takes us to Samaria, to Jacob’s well near the town of Sychar. It is noon. Jesus is tired and sitting alone. The disciples have gone into the town to buy food. Then a woman comes to the well, and Jesus says to her, “Give me a drink.” She is surprised. She is a Samaritan woman, and Jesus is a Jewish man. Jews and Samaritans were hostile toward one another, and many Jews avoided passing through Samaria. In fact, they had once been one people. Israel is another name for Jacob, and from Jacob’s children came the twelve tribes. They entered the promised land and became one nation. But after the time of Solomon, the kingdom was divided. Over time, the relationship between the two grew worse. Even worship became divided. Samaritans worshipped on Mount Gerizim, while Jews worshipped at the temple in Jerusalem. So, it is no accident that Jesus meets this Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. That place carries a memory. It reminds us that, though they had become like enemies, they were...
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Order of Service / Lent 3 / March 8, 2026

*Gathering Hymn Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love (#574 VU | vs. 1&4) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Come to the wellspring of our salvation.    All: We come to the place where the water of life runs free. One: Come to the well, and set your burdens down.   All: We come to draw up refreshment for mind and for spirit. One: Come, people of God, to this place of worship.    All: We come with open hearts, ready to receive grace. One: Come and praise the God who gives us life. All: We come to worship and to rejoice in God’s love. * Adapted from Kate Carwford. Gathering LE 2026 . Page 29. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn As the Deer Pants for the Water (#776 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) God of living water, we confess that we look for life in places that cannot satisfy, and we ignore the deeper thirst within us. We confess that we judge others, keep our distance, and turn away from the p...
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Message: The Road of Blessing / Genesis 12:1-4

Genesis can be divided into two main parts. Chapters 1 to 11 move from the creation stories to the Tower of Babel. This first section gives us a broad picture of humanity and the world, and it is often called the primeval history. Then, in chapters 12 to 50, the focus becomes much more specific. Instead of speaking about all people, the story follows one household and its descendants, beginning with Abraham and Sarah. This section describes the roots of faith for many in the world, including those within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Today’s first reading comes from the very beginning of this second part of Genesis. The change is sudden. There is no long introduction and no explanation. God simply speaks to Abram and says, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house.” In the ancient world, this was not a small request. Land, family, and household were the foundations of life. They were the basis of survival, identity, and security. So, leaving home was not a simp...
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Order of Service / Annual Meeting Sunday / March 1, 2026

*Gathering Hymn Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love (#574 VU | vs. 1&2) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: On this Annual Meeting Sunday, with gratitude for the vision of all those who have come before and gratitude for the vision that will lead us into tomorrow and the years ahead,    All:  we come to this place of worship with heads bowed and hearts open. One: As God’s Spirit has touched the spirits of so many of our forebears in the faith,   All: may God’s Spirit touch our spirits this day. One: Come, Holy Spirit, come with your call and vision for this community of faith. * Sheryl Spencer. Gathering ACE 2022/23 . Page 52. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn We Are One (#402 VU|vs.1,2,4) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) God of mercy, we admit that we do not always love well. We have used words that wounded. We have made choices that left others carrying the cost. Forgive us, O God. Open our eyes to w...
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Message: Eden & Wilderness / Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 & Matthew 4:1-11

On this first Sunday of Lent, the lectionary readings bring us into two stories, Eden and the wilderness. Eden is a place of abundance, where everything is given to enjoy. The wilderness, by contrast, is a place of lack, exposing weakness and vulnerability. Today’s readings show that both can be places of temptation. This reminds us that temptation can appear anywhere and is never far from us. Through these two stories, we are invited to reflect on what temptation is and how we can face it. Genesis begins with two creation stories. Today’s first reading comes from the second story, which explores the human condition. God forms the human from the dust of the ground, but it does not end there. When God breathes the breath of life into it, the human becomes a living being. Life is more than just physical movement. Without the divine breath that makes relationships possible, humans are not truly alive. Because of this, the Hebrew word for breath also refers to spirit. It connects God and u...
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Order of Service / Lent 1 / February 22, 2026

  *Gathering Hymn Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love (#574 VU | vs. 1&3) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: As we enter this Lenten season, God renews God’s promise to us. God promises to support us when life calls us to a tough decision.    All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: God promises to travel with us through the places of testing.   All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: God promises to show us the faithful and wise way.    All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: God promises that when we fail or falter, God will not forsake us. All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: In the life and death of Jesus Christ, we know we are able to trust God’s promises.    All: And so we recommit to our promise to trust God’s leading in the hard places we encounter and in the hard places encountered in the life of our faith community. One: Knowing that the promises of God are to b...
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