This is part of the worship series,
"Good News!”
Introduction
Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4
Lent 5 | Palm Sunday | Good Friday | Easter Sunday
FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT
Call to Worship
Come to the Lord, who is rich in grace;
approach our God, who is full of mercy.
We will praise God with all our heart
and glorify the name of the Most High forever.
—The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd ed., J.1.2.6. Church of the Servant, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Used by permission.
God’s Greeting
Worship Song
“Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty” Heber
Call to Confession
This is the fourth Sunday in Lent, a time Christians historically have reflected upon their lives, identified sin, and repented of it. Of course these are things we should always be doing! But there’s something about the weeks leading up to Good Friday and Easter that makes one consider the cross and the price that was paid for our sin. Hear these words from 1 John 1:8–9: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Let us pray.
Prayer of Confession
Holy God,
as we worship you this day
we do not want to be people who deceive ourselves.
Instead we want to clearly see who you are
and clearly see who we are.
We cannot claim to be without sin.
So we confess our sin before you,
trusting that you are indeed faithful and just
and that you will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Hear our prayer,
for we pray these things in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear these words of assurance from Scripture:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
—2 Corinthians 5:17–18 NIV
As the church today, we share the good news about new life in Christ, about sins forgiven and the restoration of our relationship with the God who made us, who created us in God’s image, and who loves us more than we can even imagine.
Children’s Message
Children’s Song
“God Is So Good” Traditional
Congregational Prayer
Good News Café
A woman was to share her story of how a life-saving medical intervention changed her perspective on life and death.
Scripture Reading
John 3:1–21
Sermon
“Good News: A Fresh Start”
Sermon Notes
Nicodemus was likely the very picture of a successful person in his culture. This makes him an unlikely follower of a perceived troublemaker like Jesus. In this famous passage, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he needs to make a fresh start and be “born again.” This actually is good news for Nicodemus and for us. God can and will give us a fresh start, a spiritual rebirth, when we believe in the savior who was lifted up on a cross and raised from the dead to deal with our sins.
Prayer of Application
Gracious God, we give you thanks for the good news that there is new life available for those who believe in your Son, Jesus Christ. We know in our hearts that what Jesus said about people choosing darkness rather than light is true. It’s our default position. And it’s wrong. Not only is it wrong, but it hurts us. It’s toxic. And it leads to death. God, we pray that you would use these words from this passage in Scripture to bring new birth into the lives of those today who need to experience it. These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Worship Song
“There Is a Redeemer” Green
Blessing
Closing Song
“Father, We Love You” Adkins
Revised Common Lectionary
Year B: Lent—Fourth Sunday in Lent
