March 6, 2020
 
Dear Friends in Christ,
 
Peace to you this evening. A blessed Lenten season to you. 
 
Join us for virtual worship on this third Sunday in Lent. Our Scripture texts are from Psalm 121 and Luke 13:10-17, as Pastor Jeff preaches on the theme of healing as an aspect of God’s shalom.
 
Below you can find links to our main worship service (along with a written order of service) and our family worship service. A button with a link to our Common Life is also below. 
 
A friendly reminder that our Annual Meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 11am over Zoom. We’d love to have you join us as we receive the 2021 operating budget, approve terms of call for our pastors and watch a video montage of our ministry together in 2020. See you there! Here is the information to join the meeting: Zoom Link; Meeting ID: 816 9820 2013; Passcode: 803138; Call-In: 312-626-6799.
 
Our Lenten adult faith formation class also continues tomorrow, as we read through Amy-Jill Levine's book, "Entering the Passion of Jesus." We’ll gather from 8:30 - 9:30am over Zoom (Zoom Link; Meeting ID: 832 3379 4440; Passcode: 389051; Call-In: 312-626-6799). Please join us if you can - no need to read ahead of time!
 
I'm grateful to be on the journey with you, friends. Thank you for being the body of Christ in the world. You are loved and never alone.
 
With gratitude in Christ,
Pastor Jeff

Main Worship Service -March 7, 2021
Family Worship Service - March 7, 2021

Prelude
Be Still and Know That I Am God

Welcome

Call to Worship
To all who feel weary, to all who feel pain, Christ comes to offer deep and lasting shalom.
Let us open our hearts to him. Let us open our minds to him.
Christ heals us and makes us whole. Christ loves us and calls us by name.
Christ is building a kingdom of hope, peace, justice, and love.
A place where all are forgiven, all are empowered, and all are integral to the body.
This Lent, we stay on the way to shalom, lifting up our hopes and fears, our joys and addictions, our gifts and disappointments.
Friends, let us worship God, tender and just. 

Opening Hymn No. 775 
I Want Jesus to Walk With Me

Call to Confession
God is gracious and merciful and knows our needs before they even reach our lips. Still, we engage in confession, admitting to God all that rests uneasily in our hearts. Confident of God’s love, let us make our confession together, first in silent prayer.

Prayer of Confession 
Gracious God, source of all life, Lord of mercy and grace, hear our prayer this morning. We come before you in need of healing: the healing of our bodies and minds, the healing of our relationships, the healing of our pride and fear and apathy, the healing of our broken and divided world. We know that with you, nothing is impossible, not even our healing, not even the restoration of the whole world. We pray that you will heal us, person by person, day by day, neighborhood by neighborhood, so that your dream for a world of peace and justice and love and kindness will come true. Show us what we need to start doing and stop doing. Show us again the children you’ve called us to be. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness  
Friends, God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The first and last word with God is grace—grace to heal and make new, grace to propel us forward. This is the good news of the gospel. Thanks be to God! Amen.  

Choral Response 
Change My Heart, O God
Change my heart, O God, and restore my soul
Change my heart, O God; make it as your own.

You are the Author of true shalom.
Where peace and justice are made at home. (new lyrics by Rev. Laura Sherwood)

Peace of Christ and Our Common Life

Reception of New Members - The Zimmer Family

Scripture Reading - Psalm 121:1-4 and Luke 13:10-17

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Sermon

Hymn of Invitation No. 533 (verse 1)
In the Singing 

Invitation to the Table

Prayer of Great Thanksgiving
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...

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.

Blessing of the Bread and Cup

Communion of the People 

Communion Music
In the Singing (instrumental and verse 2)

Prayer after Communion
                         
Call to Offering
This Lent, we are invited to participate in the kingdom emerging all around us. May we offer ourselves to God with glad and generous hearts, freely giving our tithes and offerings to the ministry of this congregation. In lieu of passing the plate, we invite you to give through our church website, our smartphone app, by texting the word “Wilmette” to the number 77977, or by sending a check to the church office. As we gather our gifts together and offer them to God, may we do so in gratitude and praise.

Congregational Response - The Doxology (OLD HUNDREDTH - Hymn 606) 
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; 
Praise God all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication

Sending Hymn No. 796 verses 1, 3 & 5 
We Come to You for Healing, Lord

Charge and Benediction

Postlude
Somebody’s Knocking at Your Door Spiritual, arr. 

Worship Leaders:
Rev. Jeff Lehn, preaching
Rev. Laura Sherwood, pastoral liturgist
Bill Bishop, liturgist
Linnea Jacobs, hymn soloist
Chancel Bells, postlude
Peggy Massello, hymn soloist, Dir. of Music   

Sources
Communion Liturgy (adapted) – from WALKING THE WILDERNESS by Pat Bennett, © 2015 Wild Goose Publications, www.ionabooks.com.
Prayer of Dedication (adapted) – from Prayer of Dedication written by Stephen M. Fearing, https://stephenmfearing.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/prayer-of-dedication-third-sunday-in-lent-year-c/