"When the Lord returned the captives of Zion we were like those who dream" Psalm 126:1
Worship with us Sundays 10:00 am.
For those unable to come in person, we stream online on YouTube
The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Forgiving Father
20th century, Oil, 183 x 61 cm, Hiroshima Girls’ School, Japan
by Frank Wesley, 1923-2002
Opening of Worship
[Leader:] The Lord be with you
[ALL:] And also with you
[Leader:] Grace and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessed are those whose transgression is forgiven. (Ps. 32:1)
[ALL:] Thanks be to God.
Knowing God as Father means that we come from God.
We are His children, and not just from our earthly parents.
Consider for a moment, what it might mean to reject God as Father.
Does this make us more free?
Do we gain anything by announcing our independence?
No, we are free only when there is someone who loves and whose love is strong.
We are not free when we close off from love.
Love grounds us.
Love gives us what we need to grow.
God’s love has given us the world.
His provision makes life possible.
His ways show us how to live in the world and to flourish.
Call to Confession
Trusting the grace promised to us in Jesus Christ,
let us confess our sins before God and one another.
Prayer of Confession
[ALL:]
Merciful God, we confess that we have strayed from your ways. Like the Prodigal Son, we have wasted our inheritance.
You gave us the earth for our home, but we squander earth’s resources and hoard its bounty.
You gave us neighbors to love, but we pursue selfish ambitions.
You gave us the commandments that lead to human flourishing, but we break your law and forsake your love.
Forgive us our sin and bring us to repentance.
Draw our wandering hearts back to you that we may find freedom in obedience to your love -- through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness
[Leader:] As a parent welcomes home a wayward child,
so God embraces all who return in true repentance.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
The First Testament // The Law & The Prophets
Joshua 5:9–12 (NLT)
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan.
A Psalm // Sacred Songs
Psalm 32 (NLT)
A psalm of David.
Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those
whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.
Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory.
The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.
So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
Prayers of the People
One of the central acts of worship is the intercessory prayer. We address God in a special way as priestly intercessors for each other and for the world at large.
We pray not just for our own congregation and for the people we know; we also intercede for those in authority, for those suffering oppression, for those who are poor, hungry, or sick, and so on.
In peace let us pray to the Lord saying,
Lord, have mercy.
For the church throughout the world, that all Christians may embody the reconciling love of Christ, let us pray Lord, have mercy.
For the nations of the world and its leaders, that all may dwell in peace and that justice may be tempered by mercy, let us pray Lord, have mercy.
For the planet Earth, God’s gift to humankind, that all may share wisely its resources and conserve its riches for our children’s children, let us pray Lord, have mercy.
For our enemies, that we may regard them with the reconciling love made manifest in Christ, let us pray Lord, have mercy.
For those who are sick or in trouble, for the defenseless, the weak, and the poor, that they may be restored to wholeness of life and livelihood, let us pray Lord, have mercy.
For the lost, for those who have abandoned God, friends, or family, and for those who have never known such love, that they may come to know the joy of love’s embrace, let us pray Lord, have mercy.
Loving God, hear the prayers of your people for the sake of our world, and our Savior Jesus Christ, through whom we pray. And all God’s people say, Amen.
Prayer for Tithes and Offerings
As people of the New Creation, let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God.
Generosity & Giving
The tithes and donations you make to DreamHouse Church make a difference to our church, our community, the people of Newport News, and world missions. There are various ways you can donate. We pass a collection plate during services and electronic giving is available for 24/7 donations. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9).
The Second Testament // The Epistles
2 Corinthians 5:16–21 (NLT)
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
The Second Testament // The Gospel
Luke 15:1–3, 11b-32 (NLT)
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
So Jesus told them this story:
“A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ ”
Hildegard of Bingen (ca.1098-1179) // Prayers from the Cloud of Witnesses
Jesus Christ, the love that gives love,
You are higher than the highest star.
You are deeper than the deepest sea.
You cherish us as your own family.
You embrace us as your own spouse.
You rule over us as your own subjects.
You welcome us as your dearest friend.
Let all the world worship you.
Holy Spirit, the life that gives life,
You are the cause of all our movements.
You are the salve that purifies our souls.
You are the ointment that heals our wounds.
You are the fire that warms our hearts.
You are the light that guides our feet.
Let all the world praise you.
O eternal God,
Turn us into the arms and hands,
the legs and feet,
of your beloved Son, Jesus.
You gave birth to us on earth,
to become his living body.
Make us worthy to be his limbs,
and so worthy to share in his eternal bliss.
Let all the world serve you.
Prayer of Illumination // For reading and preaching of the Word of God
Almighty God, by your Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 5:16–17)
open our minds and bodies to the re-creating power of your Word,
that we may see the world though the mind of Christ
and live in the world as a foretaste of your new creation.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
The Lord's Supper // Communion
Hear the words of the institution
of the Holy Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ:
The Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread,
and after giving thanks to God,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,
“Take, eat. This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.”
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the saving death of the risen Lord until he comes.
—based on 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Let us pray --
Living God,
send your Holy Spirit upon us
as we share your heavenly meal;
nourish us with your grace
so that we are strengthened
to do your work in this world;
unite us with you so that we are renewed;
and join us with your covenant people
throughout time and space
so that all divisions will be healed.
May we gratefully and joyfully remember that Jesus, our Savior,
lived, died, and rose to give us new life
and make us new creations in him.
May we live in the hope
we discover through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The body of Christ, given for you.
Thanks be to God.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Thanks be to God.
Loving God,
you have given us a share in the one bread and the one cup
and made us one with Christ.
Help us to bring your salvation and joy to all the world.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Doxology and Benediction // The Sending & the Blessing
As you leave this place this day,
may God’s love sustain you,
and may you love those who surround you.
May God’s Spirit empower you,
and may you empower all those you meet.
May God’s joy fill your hearts,
and may this joy overflow
to the ends of the earth for God’s glory,
now and forever. Amen