Covenant Presbyterian Church

Third Sunday in Lent

March 12, 2023 – 10am

  Covenant is an accepting, welcoming community sharing the glory of God’s love with all.

PRELUDE “Make Them Hear You” by Ahrens and Flaherty, arr. DelMonte

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Candle

CALL TO WORSHIP  

Leader: We gather together—

People: the seekers, the dreamers, the shooting-star wishers, in hopes of seeing God.

Leader: We gather together—

People: the curious, the hungry, the loving, the lonely, in hopes of finding peace.

Leader: We gather together—

People: those who are thirsty and those with water to spare, in hopes of finding justice.

Leader: So come to the well, come, let us worship God. Amen.

*HYMN #479 “Come Now to the Water”  (verses 1-3) Ribbon

Refrain:

Ho, all who thirst,

come now to the water,

and all whose souls are parched

and weary, come and drink!

Ho, all who thirst,

come now to the water,

and from your heart will flow

a never-failing spring!

1 Why forsake the Lord,

the fount of living water,

choosing broken cups

that cannot be filled? (Refrain)

2 For the Lamb will be

our shepherd and will guide us

to the wellsprings of

the water of life. (Refrain)

3 All who come may take

this gift of living water.

They will thirst no more,

for they shall be filled. (Refrain)

CALL TO CONFESSION 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION     Cross

Holy God, we have been on every side of this story. We have been the one who is thirsty and in need of compassion, and we have been the one with a bucket and a deep well. So today we wonder: how often have we missed the opportunity to share water with our neighbors? How often have we forgotten that we have a bucket and the power to bring change? How often have we simply decided that justice and compassion were not worth the work? Forgive our fragile hearts and remind us that it was you who sat at that well in Samaria in the heat of the day. It was you. It is still you. With hope we pray, amen.

WORDS OF FORGIVENESS 

This is the good news of the gospel:

God’s grace is deeper than any well. We are seen, loved, and forgiven. May this realization change and inspire us. Amen.

HYMN #581 “Glory Be to the Father” Ribbon

Glory be to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen, amen.

PASSING OF THE PEACE

The peace of the Lord, be with you all. And also with you.

HYMN #188 “Jesus Loves Me” 

TALK WITH CHILDREN

SPECIAL MUSIC       “Stars I Shall Find” by Johnson

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

THE GOSPEL READING John 4:3-29, 39-42 (NRSVUE)

The Gospel of the Lord.  Praise to you, O Christ.

PRAYER OF THE DAY † Cross

Lord of the wellspring, 

source of life and truth: 

Jesus asked for water 

from the hands of a woman

in the land of the stranger; 

may he teach us to name our need, 

to love our neighbor 

and to worship you

in spirit and truth, 

through Jesus Christ, who shows us who we are. 

Amen.

SERMON “Seeking: Will You Give Me a Drink?”     Notebook  

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven… (Hymnal p. 35. We say “debts & debtors.”)

SPECIAL MUSIC       “Amazing Grace” arr. Courtney

INVITATION TO THE OFFERING 

You can give online to Covenant by scanning this QR code or

Text “Donate123” to 1-888-364-GIVE (4483).

OFFERTORY     “By Our Love” by Christy Nockels, arr. McDonald

*DOXOLOGY #606      Ribbon 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

praise God, all creatures here below;

praise God above, ye heavenly host;

Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.  Amen.                                            

*Prayer of Dedication Cross 

*HYMN 493 “Now There is No Male or Female”  (verses 1-3) Ribbon

1 Now there is no male or female;

now there is no free or slave;

now there is no Jew or Gentile

in the earth Christ died to save.

Christ has set us free for freedom:

we no more sing slavery’s creed;

old submissions cannot claim us;

Christ has set us free indeed.

2 Crucified with Christ the Savior,

baptized in his holy death,

and as Christ was raised to glory

we have new life on this earth.

Power of water and God’s naming,

turning us from dark to light,

joins us to those who, before us,

ran the race and fought the fight.

3 Death has no dominion o’er him,

so for us death holds no power;

life’s own waters now have marked us,

born to God this very hour.

From this moment and forever

dead to sin, alive in Christ,

born of water and the Spirit,

now in Christ we find our life.

*CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

POSTLUDE         Reprise of “Now There is No Male or Female”

Unless otherwise noted, prayers by Rev. Sarah A. Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org

† From Prayers for an Inclusive Church by Steven Shakespeare. New York: Church Publishing, 2009

Assisting in Worship Today:

Rusty Miller – Liturgist

Whitney Dodds – Vocalist

Zac DelMonte - Director of Illuminati

Illuminati, The Sacred Music Ensemble of the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus

Cherie Brooks – Director of Music & Technology 

Katie Wynkoop–Organist/Pianist & Assistant Director of Music 

Erin Wise – Director of Children’s & Youth Ministries

Brian Biller – Media Production Specialist

Rev. Joel A. Esala–Pastor

“Living Water”

by Lauren Wright Pittman 

Inspired by John 4:5-42 

Digital painting