First Presbyterian Church
Order of Worship

Link to our livestream worship page.

Sunday Worship
March 8, 2026 - 10 a.m. EDT

Prelude - It Is Well With My Soul (arr. Craig Phillips)

Ringing of the Church Bell

Call to Worship
Wallace W. Bubar

One: We gather together —

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

One: We gather together —

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

One: We gather together —

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

One: So come to the well, come to the table.

All: Come, let us worship God.

Hymn 475 - Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, thou Fount of every blessing;
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above;
praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of God’s unchanging love!

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.

Call to Confession

Prayer of the Confession [unison]

Lord, you know who we are. You know everything we have done. We thirst for things that will never satisfy us. We commit ourselves to things that will never last. We worship things that will never bring salvation. Still, you offer us the gift of living water. Still, you offer us the gift of eternal life. Forgive us, O Lord, and give us this living water, so that we may never thirst again. Amen.

Response 579 - Kyrie eleison (translation: “Lord, have mercy”)

Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison.

Words of Forgiveness

Exchange of Peace

One: The peace of Christ be with you.

All: And also with you.

Welcome and Announcements

Old Testament Reading - Exodus 17:1-7
Tom Martin, liturgist

One: The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Anthem - Just As I Am, I Come (Victor C. Johnson)
Chancel Choir
Meredith Needham, piano

Word with Children
Kristin Ream

New Testament Reading - John 4:5-29, 39-42

One: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Sermon - “Must Be Something in the Water”

Hymn 182 - I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
lay down, O weary one, lay down
your head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down and drink and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s light;
look unto me, your morn shall rise,
and all your day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my star, my sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk
till traveling days are done.

Affirmation of Faith [unison]

We believe that a glass of water given to us by a stranger can taste like justice. We believe that honest conversation has the power to change us. We believe that all God’s children have a voice and something to say. We believe that Jesus loves the outcast, the ignored, the shamed, and the abandoned. We believe in asking questions. We believe in curiosity. We believe in giving people a drink. May we be brave enough to give people a drink. Amen.

Welcome of New Members [unison]

With joy and thanksgiving, we welcome you, for we are all one in Christ. We promise to love, encourage, and support you, to share the good news of the Gospel with you, and to walk alongside you in your journey of faith. Join with us at the table of God’s kingdom, and proclaim with us the good news of Christ for all the world.

Prayers of the People

One: Lord, we look to you:

All: Receive our prayer.

Offertory - Of Distant Lands and People (Robert Schumann)

Give online at granpres.org/give

Doxology 606 - Praise God, from Whom All Blessing Flow

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

Hymn 626 - As the Deer (sung twice)

As the deer pants for the water:
So my soul longs after you.
You alone are my heart’s desire,
And I long to worship you.

You alone are my strength, my shield;
To you alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire,
and I long to worship you.

Benediction

Postlude - Olivet (arr. David Blackwell)
Philip Everingham

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