Welcome to Worship at the McPherson Church of the Brethren
We invite your active participation in the life of this congregation, as together we continue to grow in grace and seek justice for God's creation.
Sunday, March 8, 2026 - 3rd Sunday in Lent
Lenten Theme -Spirit Moving Within Us and Through all Creation
Welcome Video
♫Gathering Music | “Ancient of Days" | Harvill & Sadler
Worship Band
Sharing Time – Joys and Concerns | Kevin Jones
♫Centering Music | “Come, Gracious Spirit” | #303
Verse 1 and 3
Opening Words | Eli Leck
(from Veni Sancte Spiritus, adapted by Sonja Griffith)
One: Come, Holy Spirit.
All: From heaven, shine forth with your glorious light!
One: Come, Holy Spirit.
All: O Holy Spirit, come from the four winds; come from the breath of God!
One: Come, Holy Spirit.
All: Come disperse the shadows over us and renew and strengthen your people.
One: Come, Holy Spirit.
All: Dear Spirit, You are our only comforter. You are our soul’s peace. In the heat you shade us, and in our labor, you refresh us.
In trouble, you are our strength. Kindle in our hearts the flame of your love, that in the darkness of the world, it may glow and reach to all forever!
♫Opening Song | “Loving Spirit”
Message for the Kids | Barbara Wagoner
Invitation to Give Video
Give online or send a check made payable to "McPherson Church of the Brethren," 200 N. Carrie, McPherson, KS 67460
♫Offering Music | “Behold the Lamb” | arr. Lloyd Larson
Ellen Gilbert, piano
Scripture Focus | John 4:5-42
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?”
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans).
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink,
you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands,
and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain,
but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth,
for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman.
But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,
“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!
They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life,
so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for.
Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”
So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said;
now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
♫Scripture Song | “When You Believe” | Stephen Schwartz
Worship Band
When You Believe(Prince of Egypt)
Many nights we prayed
With no proof, anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understood
Now, we are not afraid
Although we know there’s much to fear
We were moving mountains
Long before we knew we could
There can be miracles when you believe
Though hope is frail, it’s hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve?
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe
In this time of fear
When prayer so often proved in vain
Hope seems like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away
Yet now I’m standing here
My hearts so full, I can’t explain
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I’d say
There can be miracles
When you believe (when you believe)
Though hope is frail, it’s hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve? (You can achieve)
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe
There can be miracles when you believe
Though hope is frail It’s hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
When you believe somehow you will
Now, you will. You will when you believe
You will when you believe
Message | “Let the Spirit Flow” | Jerry Bowen
♫Sending Song | “New Earth, Heavens New” | #299
Please be seated for the Sending Words and Sending Music
Sending Words | Jerry Bowen
♫Sending Music | “Come, Thou Almighty King” | arr. Albin Whitworth
Ellen Gilbert, organ
Videography and Editing: Eric Goering
Music Coordinator: Ellen Gilbert
Choir Director: Becky Snell
Technical Crew: Eric Goering, Ryan Goering, Shane Kirchner, Steve Lolling & Chris Whitacre
Chancel Decoration Team: Jill Brax, Colleen Gustafson, Janette Hess, Michele Johnson, Shane Kirchner, Marie Neher & Lara Schoming
