“God Hears Bubbles”

THE CELEBRATION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

March 19, 2023​                                                   ​​​​11:00  am

WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF HOMEWOOD 

MISSION STATEMENT

Through the grace of God, faith in Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we prayerfully seek to discern God’s will for this congregation and to reach beyond ourselves to feed the hungry, body and soul.         Adopted by Session 7/31/17

PRAYER FOR PEACE​​​​ ||| Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.  Amen.

PRELUDE​​​

*CALL TO CONTINUING WORSHIP

We come to sanctify ourselves,

We come seeking to be worthy of our call.

The Lord looks not at our outward selves,

But seeks to know what is in our hearts.

Let us learn what is pleasing to the Lord,

that we might live as childrenof the Most High.

*HYMN 729 |||  Lord, I Want to Be a Christian​I Want to Be a Christian

CALL TO CONFESSION

How do we know when our actions are right?  When the fruits of our labors are good and true.  Christ is the light that exposes all we keep hidden, but offers us healing and renewal instead of judgment.  Therefore, let us hold up our sins to Christ's gaze.

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION

God of compassion and mercy, we sometimes fail to see what you are doing in the world. We want you to act in ways we predict, but we forget: you do what is good, not what is expected.  Forgive us when we doubt the wisdom of your actions. Most of all, forgive us when we do not respond to your call, ignoring what we need to do to show the world your love and grace.

     (silent prayer)

Amen.

*DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS

God leads us beside still waters.   God comforts us through dark valleys.God forgives us for all our sins. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord our whole lives long.

*THE GLORIA 581

MOMENT WITH OUR CHILDREN​​ ||| Rev. Jeanne A. Johnston

WELCOME AND CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS

WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

FIRST SCRIPTURE READING ||| 1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do, and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely his anointed is now before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him, for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

SPECIAL MUSIC         

SECOND SCRIPTURE READING​​​ ||| John 9:1-12, 18-21,30-33

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am he.” 10 But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, 21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 30 The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

The Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God!

SERMON​ ||| "God Hears Bubbles"​ ||| Rev. Jeanne A. Johnston

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

*HYMN 144 |||In the Bleak Midwinter​​​ ||| Cranham |||(verses 1 & 4 only)

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH  ​​|||The Brief Statement of Faith 1983

In life and in death we belong to God.  Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND 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.

OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS

INVITATION TO THE OFFERING

We come with our gifts,our treasure, our time,our talents, ourselves.We come to make our offering to the Lord.

OFFERTORY

*DOXOLOGY 606​​​​​​​ ||| Old Hundredth

​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.

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION

We give you thanks, Holy God, for the gifts we have from you. We bring you our gifts, our hands and feet, our words and our actions. Lead us to be true stewards of the world and willing partners in your love for all people. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

WE GO IN GOD’S NAME

*HYMN 377 ||| I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light​​ |||Houston

BLESSING & CHARGE

May the ever flowing love of God fill you to overflowing

We go with the love of God in our hearts

May the peace of Jesus who came to save calm your soul

We go with the peace of Christ in our hearts

May the fire of the Holy Spirit be a light for all your days.

We go with the fire of the Holy Spirit in our hearts

We go from this place to give peace and fire and love to all we meet.  Amen.

POSTLUDE

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!  Thanks be to God!

Rev. Matt Lang, Pastor

Mrs. Mary Ann Wenzelman, Interim Organist/Pianist

Worship Liturgist: Laura Dillman

Usher: PhilDillman

Today, we welcome Rev. Jeanne A. Johnston to the pulpit.  Rev. Johnstonis a retired UCC pastor. Ordained in 1978, Jeanne has served parishes in northwest Illinois, South Dakota, and Indiana. She has spent the last 18 years as an adjunct math teacher and tutor at Ivy Tech Community College in Evansville, Indiana and now resides in Park Forest.

WELCOME – During this Lenten season, we praise God for his righteous Son, who perfectly kept all of God’s commandments for us and paid the full price of our disobedience.  Let us praise him with hearts filled with Christ’s spirit of obedience

SCRIPTURES IN WORSHIP – Next Sunday wewill be readingEzekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130, Romans 8:6-11 and John 11:1-45.

PRAYER CHAIN – If you want prayer requests included on the prayer chain, contact Shirley Armistead at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING (OGHS) has been the focus of a special offering for Presbyterians and a varying number of other denominations during Lent for many years.  Begun in 1949 (four years after the end of World War II), OGHS funds are distributed in three ways: PDA (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance), PHP (Presbyterian Hunger Program) and SDOP (Self Development of People).  During Lent you will see posters, bulletin inserts, and hear minutes for offering.  Extra fish banks are available on the Welcome Center.  Designated OGHS envelopes will be available