First Presbyterian Church of Niles
Morning Worship
With Communion
10:00 A.M. March 1, 2026
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRELUDE
REFLECTION TEXT Psalm 121: 5-6
The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence Arr. Burkhardt
CALL TO WORSHIP (Responsive)
From where will our help come?
Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Who is our keeper?
The Lord is our keeper, by day and by night.
How long will God protect us?
God will keep our going out and our coming in from this time on and forevermore.
OPENING PRAYER
*HYMN 49 The God of Abraham Praise LEONI
The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above,
The Ancient of Eternal Days, the God of love!
The Lord, the great I AM, by earth and heaven confessed,
We bow before your holy name, forever blest.
Your spirit still flows free, high surging where it will.
In prophet’s word you spoke of old and you speak still.
Established is your law, and change less it shall stand,
Deep writ upon the human heart by your strong hand.
Your goodly land we seek, with peace and plenty blest,
A land of sacred liberty and Sabbath rest.
There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound,
And trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned.
You have eternal life implanted in the soul;
Your love shall be our strength and stay, while ages roll.
We praise you, living God! We praise your holy name:
The first, the last, beyond all thought, and still the same!
CALL TO CONFESSION
We cannot earn God’s grace or favor. It comes to us, not as something owed, but as a gift freely given. Confident in God’s love for us, even when we are ungodly, we confess our sins in faith. Please join me in the prayer of confession:
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)
Gracious God, we come before you in need of forgiveness and grace. You call us to trust in you completely, but we do not. We are timid and fearful as we follow your lead. We justify our actions and words, though we know they are not what you require. We struggle to understand the new life Christ offers, preferring old habits to risky change. Forgive us, we pray. Help us to be born again into the life of Christ, trusting that you have included us by grace in the family of faith. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
MOMENT OF SILENT AND PERSONAL CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF PARDON (Responsive)
Friends, God is for us and not against us! For that very reason, God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Believe the good news, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
PASSING THE PEACE
As God has forgiven us in Christ let us also forgive one another.
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
Please share the sign of peace with one another.
The sharing of Christ’s peace.
RESPONSE Peace is Flowing Like a River TRADITIONAL
Peace is flowing like a river, flowing out to you and me.
Flowing out into the desert, setting all the captives free.
His love is flowing like a river, flowing out to you and me.
Flowing out into the desert, setting all the captives free.
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
SPECIAL MUSIC What Wondrous, Marvelous Love Cooper
Chancel Choir
What wondrous love is this, O my soul! What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse for my soul. Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. When I was sinking down, beneath God’s righteous frown, Christ laid aside His crown for my soul. How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be; how marvelous! How wonderful! Is my Savior’s love for me.
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING John 3: 1-17
MESSAGE “Born of the Spirit” Rev. Christopher Mergener
*HYMN 774 There Is Now a New Creation STUTTGART
There is now a new creation through the grace of Jesus Christ,
peace and reconciliation with the God of endless life.
Call the lost and found together; tell the news to everyone:
now the past is gone forever and a new life has begun.
Wrap the prodigal in welcome; run to greet the wayward child.
All is finished and forgiven; let us now be reconciled.
Come and join the celebration; come and join this happy feast;
Jesus makes an invitation to the greatest and the least.
There is now a new creation through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Sing, with thanks and adoration, to the God of endless life!
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (In Unison)
In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom and peace. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
THE CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING (Responsive)
The Holy One be with you.
And also with you.
Open your hearts.
We open our hearts to you, O God.
Let us give thanks to God, an Abiding Presence.
To the One who companions us through all things, we give thanks and praise.
Faithful One…
…In awe and gratitude, we join together in praise of you, Source of Abundance:
Holy, Holy, Holy One
God of justice and love
Heaven and earth are full of your wonder
Blessed is your presence among us
Since the beginning…
…Through the grace of your sustenance, may Christ be with us. You may now take the elements.
PRAYER AFTER RECEIVING
CALL FOR THE OFFERING
Offertory I Surrender All Arr. Pethel
*DOXOLOGY Praise God Throughout These Forty Days OLD 100TH
Praise God throughout these forty days. Praise Christ, our Lord, whom God did raise. And praise the Spirit who imparts God’s love in Christ into our hearts. Amen.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
PREPARATION FOR PRAYERS 571 O Lord, Hear My Prayer HEAR MY PRAYER
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (Responsive) Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
THE LORD’S PRAYER (Unison)
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.
*HYMN 37 (Vs.1) Let All Things Now Living ASH GROVE
Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving to God our Creator triumphantly raise;
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us, by guiding us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us; pure light goes before us, a pillar of fire shining forth in the night:
Till shadows have vanished, all fearfulness banished, as forward we travel from light into light.
*CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
All music is reproduced under permission from ccli.com License #11146543.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~