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Worship Outline: March 1, 2026 - Second Sunday in Lent (Holy Communion)
Worship Outline: March 1, 2026 - Second Sunday in Lent (Holy Communion)
Introduction to the day
During Lent we journey with all those around the world who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil. In today’s gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born of water and Spirit. At the font we are a given a new birth as children of God. As God made a covenant with Abraham, in baptism God promises to raise us up with Christ to new life. From worship we are sent forth to proclaim God’s love for all the world.
(* = please stand, as able)
Quiet Time for Reflection and Prayer
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Confession and Forgiveness
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
Let us confess our sin before God, who removes our guilt and blots out all offenses.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Gracious God,
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For seeking worldly delights that deceive us and dishonor you:
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For desiring self-reliance instead of hungering for your word:
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For failing to recognize your coming reign, and for hindering the work of the Spirit:
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For drawing from the well of self-serving ambition, and for disdaining the living water Christ offers:
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For disregarding voices from the margin, and for distrusting signs of your healing and hope in the world:
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
For dwelling in tombs of self-pity and discontent, and for disregarding Christ’s call to come forth to life:
have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
God’s steadfast love, grace, and forgiveness abound. Through faith, the free gift of God, you have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. The Spirit of the One who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, pours God’s love into your hearts, and gives you life and peace. Amen.
*Gathering Song Give to Our God Immortal Praise!
(# 848)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r53rPXAs9l0
Give to our God immortal praise!
Mercy and truth are all his ways.
Wonders of grace to God belong;
Repeat his mercies in your song.
He sent his Son with pow’r to save
From guilt and darkness and the grave.
Wonders of grace to God belong;
Repeat his mercies in your song.
Give to the Lord of lords renown;
The King of kings with glory crown.
His mercies ever shall endure
When lords and kings are known no more!
(Text: Isaac Watts. Music: attr. John Hatton. Text and music: public domain.)
*Greeting
The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
*Kyrie (p. 98, sung)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DboXKDOd41U
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen, amen.
*Prayer of the Day
O God, our leader and guide, in the waters of baptism you bring us to new birth to live as your children. Strengthen our faith in your promises, that by your Spirit we may lift up your life to all the world through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading: Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills; my help comes from the Lord. (Ps. 121:1, 2) 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills;
from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 The Lord will not let your foot be moved
nor will the one who watches over you fall asleep.
4 Behold, the keeper of Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep;
5 the Lord watches over you;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will preserve you from all evil
and will keep your life.
8 The Lord will watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth forevermore.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Hymn Be Thou My Vision (# 793)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPF9W1Ok-YM
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art:
Thou my best thought both by day and by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tow’r,
Raise thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.
Riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and thou only, the first in my heart,
Great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.
Light of my soul, after victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joy, O heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
(Text: Irish, 8th cent.; vers. Eleanor H. Hull, alt; Mary E. Bryne. Music: Irish traditional. Text and music: public domain.)
Second Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
In the person and example of Abraham we discover that a right relationship with God does not involve earning a reward from God but entails trusting God’s promises. Abraham is the forebear and model for both Jews and Gentiles, because we too trust that ours is a God who gives life to the dead.
1 What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
13 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. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.
16 For this reason the promise depends on faith, in order that it may rest on grace, so that it may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (who is the father of all of us, 17 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.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
*Gospel Acclamation (said)
The Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)
*Gospel: John 3:1-17
The Holy Gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
A curious Pharisee visits Jesus by night to learn from the teacher his friends reject. Jesus speaks to him about life in the Spirit and the kingdom of God.
1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 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 unless God is with that person.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 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?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 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.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the 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. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that 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.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon – Pastor Matthew
*Hymn of the Day O Jesus, Joy of Loving Hearts (# 658)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ3tF3MKogM
O Jesus, joy of loving hearts,
The fount of life, the light of all;
From ev’ry bliss that earth imparts
We turn, unfilled, to hear your call.
We taste you, ever living bread,
And long to feast upon you still;
We drink of you, the fountainhead;
Our thirsting souls from you we fill.
For you our restless spirits yearn,
Where’er our changing lot is cast;
Glad, when your smile on us you turn,
Blest, when by faith we hold you fast.
O Jesus, ever with us stay!
Make all our moments fair and bright!
Oh, chase the night of sin away!
Shed o’er the world your holy light.
(Text: Bernard of Clairvaux; tr. Ray Palmer, alt. Music: W. Gardiner, ‘Sacred Melodies’, 1815. Text and music: public domain.)
*Apostles’ Creed (p. 105)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
*Prayers of Intercession
Reconciled by God’s mercy and sustained by God’s presence, let us pray for the world and its needs.
A brief silence.
Faithful One, you renew us by grace. As you have inspired faith throughout the ages give your church, including Our Saviour’s and Hilldale, the means to praise you through our ministries. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Living One, you delight in this world. The sun and moon, the wind and the water declare your goodness. Preserve this earth, and protect conservationists, scientists, and all who labor in service to creation. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Ruling One, you bless us to be a blessing. Open the hearts of all leaders to seek the flourishing of every person and lend your help to all who wait for justice, deliverance, and peace. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Compassionate One, you send your Son to save. Declare your word of acceptance to any who feel condemned and lift up any brought low by hatred and exclusion. Tend to all who are struggling with illness or loss. Those we remember include … Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Guiding One, you watch over our going out and coming in. Listen to our silent prayers … Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Eternal One, you neither slumber nor sleep. Be our keeper in life and in death. Thank you for our beloved who have died … and for your promise which saves this whole world by your love. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Receive our prayers, O God, through Jesus Christ, our strength and salvation. Amen.
*Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Offering (please be seated)
As our offerings are being collected by passing plates down the pews, please join in singing:
Offertory Blessed Assurance (# 638, st. 1 and 3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F7gl4KWURc
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.
Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Saviour am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
Refrain:
(Text: Fanny J. Crosby. Music: Phobe P. Knapp. Text and music: public domain.)
Offering Prayer
O God, maker of heaven and earth, your steadfast love embraces all creation. Through these gifts, help us to bear witness to the saving work of your Son. Amen.
*Great Thanksgiving (p.107, sung)
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.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You call your people to cleanse their hearts and prepare with joy for the paschal feast, that, renewed in the gift of baptism, we may come to the fullness of your grace. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG49pxojgjk
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and 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.
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
Come to the table. Feast on God’s goodness and mercy. The body and blood of Christ given and shed for you.
If watching online, when the presiding minister says, ‘The body and blood of Christ, given and shed for you,’ we welcome all to take and eat a piece of bread, remembering and giving thanks for the promises given us in Christ Jesus. Please also do so, taking a glass of wine or another beverage.
During Communion, please join in singing,
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross (# 335, st. 1 and 3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFJ89-rm16A
Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There’s a precious fountain;
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.
Refrain:
In the cross, in the cross
Be my glory ever;
Till my ransomed soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day
With its shadow o’er me.
Refrain:
(Text: Fanny J. Crosby. Music: William H. Doane. Text and music: public domain.)
Prayer after Communion
God of our salvation, we give you thanks for this meal that restores our souls, reconciles us to you, and strengthens us for the journey. May we become Christ’s body in the world, bearing witness to your love for all creation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
*Blessing
God, who calls all things into existence, Jesus Christ, who redeems us, and the Holy Spirit, whose breath sustains creation, ☩ bless you now and always.
Amen.
*Sending Song Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me (# 767)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5RpGUTccXA
Lord, take my hand and lead me
Upon life’s way;
Direct, protect, and feed me
From day to day.
Without your grace and favour
I go astray;
So take my hand, O Saviour,
And lead the way.
Lord, when the tempest rages,
I need not fear;
For you, the Rock of Ages,
Are always near.
Close by your side abiding,
I fear no foe,
For when your hand is guiding,
In peace I go.
Lord, when the shadows lengthen
And night has come,
I know that you will strengthen
My steps toward home,
Then nothing can impede me,
O blessed Friend!
So, take my hand and lead me
Unto the end.
(Text: Julie von Hausmann; tr. ‘Lutheran Book of Worship’. © 1978, Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved. Music: Friedrich Silcher, public domain.)
*Dismissal
Go in peace. Believe the good news.
Thanks be to God!
From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2026 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Sermon: March 1, 2026: Second Sunday in Lent
Sermon: March 1, 2026: Second Sunday in Lent
Text: John 3:1-2
This passage from John reminds me of that reality TV series, ‘The Masked Singer.’ In case you’re not following it, well, not until now, the show features celebrities singing songs while wearing head-to-toe costumes and face masks concealing their identities. Panelists try to guess the celebrities' identities by interpreting clues provided. Often it takes almost until the end of the final episode for the celebrity to be unmasked.
Nicodemus acts like a panelist, trying to uncover who Jesus is. He doesn’t have it all figured out. Yet he feels certain enough to offer an educated guess. Coming to Jesus he declares that this teacher, this Rabbi, has come from God. He bases this on evidence he has heard and seen: ‘no one can do these signs’ that Jesus does ‘unless God is with that person.’ Nicodemus waits to be declared the winner or at least on the right track. I hear him whispering, ‘O please, O please, O please, let me be right!’
The answer Jesus gives Nicodemus leaves him disappointed, and more than a little bewildered. He learns that his deductive reasoning leaves him far short of understanding. Jesus goes on to teach him, and you and me, that finding out who Jesus is not a game for us to conquer with clues and our own skills. It is a gift offered to us through the Creator, a gift of life, life seen in new ways, life guided by the presence and the movement of God’s Spirit.
Jesus informs Nicodemus and us that to know who Jesus is we must be “born from above.” The Greek word translated here means both “again” and “from above.” Nicodemus hears it literally, but Jesus is pointing to something deeper—a spiritual rebirth initiated by God. American Lutheran writer Liz Dinkens comments on this that ‘being “born from above” isn’t being morally superior or getting everything right. It’s about the identity we receive that is rooted in the Divine Spirit. It is something God does, not dependent on anything we can do or achieve.’ For this reason, ‘Jesus compares the Spirit to wind—moving freely, unpredictably, beyond human control …The Spirit is active in ways we may not fully understand.’ (FL)
Jesus continues with the famous words of John 3:16. Often this verse is quoted with the emphasis on “whoever believes…will have eternal life.” However, if heard in another way, combined with the verse that follows it, Jesus teaches us that God’s love precedes our belief. More than that, “God’s love reaches the whole world—not just the church, our country, the people who look like us, the ones who believe as we do—but the whole world.” As Dinkens further writes, “For God so loved the world…” Not just the polished, faithful parts. Not just the parts I agree with. The WHOLE world. Before any of us believed, before we have anything figured out, even when we don’t agree – God loves. Echoing this, Jesus reminds us in verse 17 that God did not send Jesus here to condemn us, but to love and save us, to love and save the world.
When we hear these verses in this way, Dinkens suggests that we hear a proclamation from Jesus that is just as important for these days we find ourselves in as it was for those of Nicodemus. ‘In a culture that pressures us to prove ourselves and draws sharp lines between who belongs and who doesn’t, Jesus points us back to God’s expansive love for the entire world. To be born from above is to see our identity from God—identity that is not built on division, status, or superiority, but on grace. From that grounding, we can see the Spirit at work—moving freely, sometimes wildly and unpredictably, toward life and unity in a world insisting on separation.’ In all of this teaching, rather than Jesus judging Nicodemus as wrong, he invites him to continue to the journey, to continue to receive the good news about who he is and what he brings to the world in love.
As he does so, Nicodemus finds himself in relationship to Jesus in ways he never would have expected. First, we hear him defending Jesus before other leaders who want to get rid of this teacher. Later, we witness him helping to bury Jesus, returning love to the one who has given him love and new life. He seemingly does so in faith that this is not the end of the story. God so loves the world that God’s Spirit will continue to move, bringing new life, grace, and joy.
Will we always understand? No. Do we have to always understand? No? Can we keep sharing our guesses with Jesus in prayer? Yes! In Jesus’ answers, in our ongoing relationship, we see the love of God continuing to be unmasked, revealed in countless ways. We receive the invitation to follow, to receive God’s gifts, to learn, and to share the good news.
So in a Canadian song in our hymn book, we sing as the last stanza,
To you, God the Singer, our voices we raise,
to you Song Incarnate, we give all our praise,
to you, Holy Spirit, our life and our breath,
be glory forever, through life and through death. (861)
Amen.
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