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Prelude “Soliloquy Op. 58” Rachel Laurin (1961-2023)
“Adagio from The Organ Symphony” Camille Saint-Saens
“L’Heure Exquise” Poldowski (Regine Wieniawski, 1879-1932)
Greetings and Announcements Rev. Lindsey Hubbard-Groves
This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
(Welcome to worship today. Bold responses are spoken by the congregation.
Note that an * indicates when all are invited to rise in body or in spirit.)
An Act of Praise
*Westminster Chimes
*Invitation to Worship Fiona Lillard
Creator God, on this International Women’s Day, which represents the history of the struggle and the resilience of women,
You’ve called us as people who resist the injustice of the world, to build a kin-dom of God,
where lamb lives with wolf peacefully, where all creatures appreciate each other’s existence.
We challenge convenience, journeying towards wholeness; this journey with You is our joy.
Let us be heartened by the courage taken, communities of support built,
and ceaseless action taken by girls, young women, and women of all identities–
and in our thoughts, words, and deeds join them, not only on this day, but every day.
We give thanks today for women of long ago and yesterday who sacrificed for us to be free—
free to vote, to speak, to learn, to preach, to travel; and free to know God in faith.
Let us worship this God together.
*Hymn #7 “Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth” norwich
Mothering God, you gave me birth in the bright morning of this world.
Creator, source of every breath, you are my rain, my wind, my sun.
Mothering Christ, you took my form, offering me your food of light,
grain of life, and grape of love, your very body for my peace.
Mothering Spirit, nurturing one, in arms of patience hold me close,
so that in faith I root and grow until I flower, until I know.
*Invitation to Confession Emma Reasoner
Mothering God, we pray with you, first in silence, to remember, and then together to remind us of our common goal.
*Silent Prayer
*Unison Prayer of Confession
Mothering God, transform us into people who value everyone with the same respect, dignity, and equality. You created us in your image and set us free to make choices. Give us courage to choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. Mold us and shape us into a truly inclusive people. Amen.
*Assurance of Forgiveness
Be at peace, knowing that our Creator will continue to give wisdom and protect our struggles for equity. So be it.
*The Passing of the Peace
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
An Act of Proclamation
Scripture Reading John 4:4-15 (p. 94) Rev. Lindsey Hubbard-Groves
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’
Moments with Children Rev. Eileen Parfrey
Anthem “Elegy” Benjamin Kornelis
Westminster Concert Bells
Sharon Ross, oboe
Dedicated by the composer to all victims of violence.
Scripture Reading John 4:16-42 (p. 95)
Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’
Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ They left the city and were on their way to him.
Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’
Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’
Sermon “Women at the ‘Well, Actually’”
A Moment for Silent Reflection
An Act of Response
*Hymn #462 “I Love to Tell the Story” hankey
vv. 1 & 3
1 I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and His glory,
of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story
because I know it’s true.
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else can do.
Refrain:
I love to tell the story!
‘Twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and His love.
2 I love to tell the story;
more wonderful it seems
than all the golden fancies
of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story;
it did so much for me,
and that is just the reason
I tell it now to thee. [Refrain]
3 I love to tell the story;
’tis pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it
more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story;
for some have never heard
the message of salvation
from God’s own holy Word. [Refrain]
Sharing Joys & Concerns Rev. Eileen Parfrey
(At the conclusion of spoken joys, let us pray together, “Thanks be to you, O God.”
For concerns, let us make them our own by praying, “Lord, hear our prayer.”)
Pastoral Prayer and 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.
Offering Ourselves and Our Gifts
(Text 73256 the word WESTPRESPDX to give using your mobile device. This number will never send unsolicited texts to you. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply.
If you’re new to Westminster, please let us know by filling out a pink visitor card and dropping it in the offering plate. Thank you.)
Offertory Anthem “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” Stuart Townend
Westminster Concert Bells arr. Betty Bettcher
How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure…
*Doxology – Hymn #606
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.
-OR-
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.
*Hymn #697 “Take My Life” hendon
- 1,2,4, & 6
1 Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.
*Benediction Rev. Lindsey Hubbard-Groves
*Postlude “Prelude and Fugue in d minor” J. S. Bach
(You may be seated for the postlude or you may depart.)
Liturgy adapted from the World Council of Churches for International Women’s Day
“We pray for women around the world”
Ms. Casey Harden, General Secretary, World YWCA
Rev. Susan C. Johnson, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Ms. Hanbeet Rhee, Presbyterian Church of Korea
Ms. Larissa Aguiar Garcia, Methodist Church of Brazil
Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America