Third Sunday of Lent, March 8
8:00 & 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Welcome to The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, a welcoming and diverse community seeking to walk in the Way of Jesus and to reveal Christ’s reconciling love in our city, nation, and world.
Get Involved: If you fill out a “Let’s Get Connected Card” found in your pew, or at the Welcome Table by the door where you came into the church, we’d be glad to keep you up to date with all that’s happening at Holy Communion. Or, simply scan the QR code below to visit holycommunion.net where you can share your contact information, find a worship bulletin, read the latest news, and more.
Communion: “These are the gifts of God for the people of God.” At Church of the Holy Communion, we believe that it is Christ himself who invites us to meet him in the bread and the cup. Though it is known by many names - Communion, Mass, Holy Eucharist, The Lord’s Supper, the Sacrament of the Altar - it is how Christ’s real presence abides with us by faith. Therefore, all are welcome to receive. When it comes time for Communion, please follow the directions of the Greeters. The bread is offered to all, with gluten free wafers available, upon request, from the minister. If you would like to receive the wine, you may either drink from the cup, or intinct (dip) the wafer in the wine. Likewise, it is acceptable to receive only the bread, if for personal or health reasons you prefer to not consume wine. Those not receiving Communion, may also come forward. Indicate to the minister that you do not wish to receive Communion by simply crossing your arms across your chest, and the minister will offer a prayer for God’s blessing in your life.
Children in Worship: Kids are expected and encouraged to participate in worship! The Pray Ground (the carpeted area at the front of the Sanctuary) is open for those in need of some wiggle room. Children are welcome to help with greeting and passing the offertory plate. Godly Play is also offered on the second Sunday of each month starting at 10:15 am. Meet in the Godly Play room downstairs by the lower level entance.
Children’s Chapel: After the Gospel reading, children are welcome to proceed to the Children's Chapel (at the end of the lounge) for engaging in a scripture lesson, pray and sing as an alternative to the sermon. For children infant through early elementary age though all ages are welcome. Older kids are invited to be worship leaders. Kids under the age of four need to bring their caregiver.
Accessibility: “Priority Seating” is provided for caretakers of those with mobility needs. Our entrances have AutoOpen buttons, and our elevator is ADA compliant. Both the downstairs restrooms and one of the upstairs restrooms are accessible.
Hearing Assistance: Hearing assistance devices are available from the welcome table. If you have any questions, just ask a Greeter.
Donations: We welcome donations to support the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. Monetary donations can be placed in the offering plate that will be passed during the service, put in the wooden offering box found at the Welcome Table, by scanning the QR code below, or by electronic donations set up through your bank or on the church website, holycommunion.net. Thank you!
THE SEASON OF LENT is a time of repentance, renewal, and return. Rooted in the ancient practices of the Church, Lent invites us into forty days of intentional self-examination and prayer as we prepare to walk with Christ toward the cross and the promise of resurrection. In the Episcopal Church, Lent is marked not by despair but by honesty; a season that tells the truth about our lives, our world, and our deep need for God’s mercy and grace.
Throughout Lent, the Church calls us to the disciplines named in the Book of Common Prayer: self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. The Gospel readings trace Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem, confronting temptation, injustice, suffering, and the cost of faithful love. These stories invite us to look inward and outward, to notice where we have turned away from God and neighbor, and to open ourselves again to the transforming power of grace.
Lent is also a season of hope and reorientation. Through confession and forgiveness, we are not weighed down but set free; freed to be reconciled, restored, and renewed in Christ. As we practice repentance, we are reshaped for mission, learning once more how to live as Easter people even as we walk the road of the cross.
In this holy season, the Church invites us to return to the Lord with our whole hearts, trusting that God’s mercy is steadfast, and beyond the wilderness lies new life.
Prelude (10:30 Service)
Welcome
Processional Hymn (10:30 Service) SEE INSERT
A Penitential Order
Please rise in body or spirit
Celebrant Blessed be the God of our salvation.
People Who bears our burdens and forgives our sin. Amen.
Celebrant Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel:
The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
Deacon Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence is kept for a time.
Deacon Most holy and merciful God: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
People We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Deacon Our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
People We confess to you, O God.
Celebrant Our self-indulgence, and our exploitation of other people, our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
People We confess to you, O God.
Deacon For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
People Accept our repentance, O God.
Celebrant For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
People Accept our repentance, O God.
Deacon Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us.
People Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.
DECLARATION OF PARDON & FORGIVENESS
Celebrant May the Eternal God forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit, and raise you to new life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Kyrie Eleison (sung)
Liturgy of the Word
The Collect of the Day SEE INSERT
Celebrant God be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
The Lessons
1st Lesson SEE INSERT
Reader The Word of the Lord
People Thanks be to God.
The Psalm (spoken in unison) SEE INSERT
2nd Lesson SEE INSERT
Reader The Word of the Lord
People Thanks be to God
Gospel Processional Hymn (10:30 Service)
The Holy Gospel SEE INSERT
Please rise in body or spirit.
Before the Gospel Reading
Deacon The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to ______.
People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
After the Gospel Reading
Deacon The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Sermon
A moment of silence is observed, following the sermon.
Nicene Creed (spoken in unison)
Celebrant Let us affirm our faith in God.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Prayers of the People
Deacon Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Leader We pray for the whole church, all leaders and ministers, and all the holy people of God.
Silence.
Wash us through and through,
People And cleanse us from our sin.
Leader We pray for our nation, for all the nations of the earth, and for all who govern and judge.
Silence.
Purge us from our sin,
People And we shall be pure.
Leader We pray for those who hunger, those who thirst, those who cry out for justice, those who live under the threat of terror, and those without a place to lay their head. Silence. Make them hear of joy and gladness,
Silence.
People that those who are broken may rejoice.
Leader We pray for those who are ill, those in pain, those under stress, and those who are lonely.
Silence.
Give them the joy of your saving help,
People and sustain them with your bountiful Spirit.
Leader In this season of Lent we pray for those who prepare for baptism, and we pray that we all might be given the grace and strength to repent and grow closer to you, O God.
Silence.
Create in us clean hearts, O God,
People and renew a right spirit within us.
Leader We pray for those who have died, (especially _____ ) and who have entered into the land of eternal Light and your abiding peace.
Silence.
Cast them not away from your presence,
People and take not your Holy Spirit from them.
Leader We especially pray for… (The people may add there intercessions and thanksgivings, either silently or aloud.)
Celebrant Lord Jesus, you taught your disciples that you must undergo great suffering and be killed before rising again; grant us the strength and wisdom to be your followers and to take up our cross to follow you, this day and always. Amen.
The Peace
Please rise in body or in spirit.
Celebrant Sisters and Brothers, the peace of Christ be always with you.
People And also with you.
We greet one another with a sign of God’s peace.
Welcome and Announcements
Please be seated for a few brief announcements. On the third Sunday of the month, we remember birthdays for the month, and invite those celebrating birthdays to come forward, as one of the clergy offers prayers and blessings.
Offertory Sentence
Celebrant Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
Offertory Anthem
At the 10:30 service, a musical offering is presented by the choir or soloist.
Offertory Hymn
At the 10:30 service, please rise in body or in spirit and sing as the ushers bring forward our offerings.
The Liturgy of the Table
The Eucharistic Prayer
Celebrant God be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts
People We lift then to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give our thanks and praise.
The Celebrant continues
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. You bid your faithful people cleanse their
hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by your Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which you have prepared for those who love you.
Celebrant Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Celebrant and People Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Celebrant Holy and gracious God: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and maker of all.
Jesus stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Savior Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper Jesus took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
People Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Celebrant We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, Almighty God, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in Christ. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Savior. By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and forever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
Celebrant And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, and in the language of our heart, we pray:
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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Padre nuestro que estás en el cielo, santificado sea tu Nombre, venga tu reino, hágase tu voluntad, en la tierra como en el cielo. Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día. Perdona nuestras ofensas, como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden. No nos dejes caer en tentación y líbranos del mal. Porque tuyo es el reino, tuyo es el poder, y tuya es la gloria, ahora y por siempre. Amén
The Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People Therefore, let us keep the feast.
Celebrant The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Communion Hymns SEE INSERT
The congregation is invited to join in the singing of communion hymns
Post Communion Prayer
Please rise in body or in spirit.
Celebrant Together, let us pray
Celebrant and People Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.
Sending of Lay Eucharistic Visitors
At various times, Lay Eucharistic Visitors take the consecrated bread and wine to those who cannot
physically be present for worship. When we do so, the following prayer may be offered:
Deacon We send you forth, bearing these holy gifts, that those to whom you go may share with us in the Body and Blood of Christ our Savior.
People We who are many are one body, because we all share one bread, one cup.
The Blessing
Celebrant
Recessional Hymn SEE INSERT
Dismissal
Deacon Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
People Thanks be to God!
Postlude (10:30 Service)
✠
Parish Staff
The Rev. Brenda Sol, Rector
call 314-721-7401
bsol@holycommunion.net
The Rev. Chester Hines, Deacon
call 314-367-7332
Mary Chapman, Director of Music
Darcy Brainard, Parish Administrator
call 314-721-7401
Jim Kern, Financial Administrator
Vestry
Kellie McCoy, Senior Warden
Joe Donahou, Junior Warden
Pat Redington, Secretary
Rudy Walz
Tim Anderson
Gloria Grenwald
Bex Comas
Heidi Volkl
Karen Payne
Nancy Donohoo
www.holycommunion.net
Music used and reprinted with permission under OneLicense #A-704988 and WorshipCast License #13476
INSERT
Third Sunday of Lent, March 8
Prelude: This Train is Bound for Glory Sister Rosetta Tharpe, arr. Rollo Dilworth
Processional Hymn: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing L111
Offertory Anthem: Come Sunday Duke Ellington
Communion Hymns: Precious Lord, Take My Hand L106
There is a Balm in Gilead L203
Recessional Hymn: How Great Thou Art L60
The Collect
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First Lesson: Exodus 17:1-7
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
The Psalm 95 Please read in unison.
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
8 Harden not your hearts,
as your forebears did in the wilderness, *
at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,
when they tempted me.
9 They put me to the test, *
though they had seen my works.
10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, *
"This people are wayward in their hearts;
they do not know my ways."
11 So I swore in my wrath, *
"They shall not enter into my rest."
Second Lesson: Romans 5:1-11
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
The Gospel: John 4:5-42
Jesus 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.”
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 worshiped 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 worshipers 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 labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
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 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 Savior of the world.”
Announcements
More information on upcoming events can be found at holycommunion.net
Jazz Pianist at Worship: Today, please join us at the 10:30 service, as we welcome jazz pianist Ben Thompson. An active member of the Air Force, Ben has traveled around the globe, boosting morale musically to fellow military. We are grateful for his time and talent as he helps create music with us.
Lenten Book & Adult Forum: Do you want to enrich your Lent with a book and discussion? Continue reading Living the Way of Love by Mary Sullivan! Then on Sundays, March 8, 15 & 22, we will dive deeper into conversation at Adult Forum. Join this Adult Forum series led by Mother Brenda Sol!
Morning of Spiritual Practices: We will host a Morning of Spiritual Practices on Saturday, March 21 at the church. Doors open at 8:30 and we’ll wrap up with lunch and fellowship. In between we’ll discuss and practice four different spiritual practices: Centering Prayer, Gentle Yoga, Lectio Divina and Walking the Labyrinth. For more information, email Michael Salsich at salsichm@gmail.com. Beginners are appreciated and welcome. Email Darcy at office@holycommunion.net to RSVP.
Altar Guild Organizational Meetings: If you’ve ever considered joining the Altar Guild now is your chance! We will be having training for setting up for Sunday (and other) services on Saturday March 14 (10:00) and Sunday March 15 (after the 10:30 service). If you’re interested, just show up! We’d love more help on the Altar Guild, especially with Holy Week coming up in a month or so!
Second Half Book Group: If you are interested in seeking a deeper spirituality, please consider the Second Half Book group. We are now taking up a new book The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from ROLE to SOUL, by Connie Zweig. We meet the first and third Thursday of each month from 1:30 to 2:30. If you think this sounds interesting and have questions, contact Babs Kehl-Fairchild at 314-799-3405.
Weekly Birthday Prayer: Watch over thy child, O Lord, as their days increase; bless and guide them wherever they may be. Strengthen them when they stand; comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise them up if they fall; and in their heart may thy peace which passeth understanding abide all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Servers
Preacher: The Reverend Brenda Sol
Deacon: The Reverend Chester Hines
Music Director: Mary Chapman
Guest Musician: Ben Thompson
Crucifer: Lydia Roesler
Readers: Lisa Hummel (8), Denise Carpenter (10:30)
Announcements: Heidi Volkl (10:30)
Greeters: Michael Salsich (8), Joe Donahou (10:30)
Chalice Bearers: Karen Payne (8), Andrew Wasson (10:30)
Streamers: Bex Comas
