Elkhorn First United Methodist Church
Third Sunday in Lent
Sunday, March 8, 2026
PRELUDE
*Entrance hymn Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing UMH#400
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SCRIPTURE John 4:5–42
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
“I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
SILENT PREPARATION
Blest Be the Tie That Binds UMH #557
* How Great is Our God (on screen)
CALL TO WORSHIP
The road of life leads us through many places--
through joy and celebration, through questions and uncertainty.
Yet we do not travel alone.
God calls us together today as people who seek grace, hope, and peace.
We gather trusting that God meets us along the way.
In every season—whether the path is smooth or difficult, God’s love is poured out among us.
So we come with open hearts, ready to worship.
Come, let us walk together in faith.
ALL: Let us worship the God who journeys with us.
SCRIPTURE Romans 5:1–11
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
MESSAGE: Companion for the Journey Pastor Mike
OFFERING Grace Alone TFWS #2162
SPECIAL GUEST / MUSIC Mark Moore
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
LORD’S PRAYER
*DOXOLOGY
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah UMH #127
BENEDICTION
As we depart, please share a sign of peace and join us in the narthex for refreshments.
Go in peace and serve the Lord.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please pray for these church members, family, and friends: Ken Aldrich, Arla Green, Helen Hall, Gayle Ostrander, Rod Paulsen, Jeff Debbink, Livingston, Spirit of Hope homeless shelter, families affected by winter cold/storms and food scarcity
How are your prayer requests doing? Please send updates to [email protected]: phone 262-723-2629
Please continue to pray for church members and friends that have not been able to join us for worship services. Every family has their struggles. They need our support and God’s blessings.
Prayers for all who are in sorrow from family loss/tragedy
Prayers for generous tithes and offerings to sustain our work
Pray for our denomination and our congregation:
Pray for Elkhorn and surrounding communities for health, economic stability, and the joy of community.
Pray for pastors and church workers worldwide.
Please remember your friends who are alone; pray for them and call or visit them whenever possible.
Please utilize the church’s prayer lists. Let us know how we can pray for you.
THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ELKHORN
111 North Broad Street, Elkhorn WI 53121
Church Office 262-723-2629
[email protected]
Pastor Mike Payne
Third Sunday in Lent
Sunday, March 8, 2026
PRELUDE
*Entrance hymn Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing UMH#400
WELCOME
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SCRIPTURE John 4:5–42
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
“I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
SILENT PREPARATION
Blest Be the Tie That Binds UMH #557
* How Great is Our God (on screen)
CALL TO WORSHIP
The road of life leads us through many places--
through joy and celebration, through questions and uncertainty.
Yet we do not travel alone.
God calls us together today as people who seek grace, hope, and peace.
We gather trusting that God meets us along the way.
In every season—whether the path is smooth or difficult, God’s love is poured out among us.
So we come with open hearts, ready to worship.
Come, let us walk together in faith.
ALL: Let us worship the God who journeys with us.
SCRIPTURE Romans 5:1–11
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
MESSAGE: Companion for the Journey Pastor Mike
OFFERING Grace Alone TFWS #2162
SPECIAL GUEST / MUSIC Mark Moore
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
LORD’S PRAYER
*DOXOLOGY
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah UMH #127
BENEDICTION
As we depart, please share a sign of peace and join us in the narthex for refreshments.
Go in peace and serve the Lord.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please pray for these church members, family, and friends: Ken Aldrich, Arla Green, Helen Hall, Gayle Ostrander, Rod Paulsen, Jeff Debbink, Livingston, Spirit of Hope homeless shelter, families affected by winter cold/storms and food scarcity
How are your prayer requests doing? Please send updates to [email protected]: phone 262-723-2629
Please continue to pray for church members and friends that have not been able to join us for worship services. Every family has their struggles. They need our support and God’s blessings.
Prayers for all who are in sorrow from family loss/tragedy
Prayers for generous tithes and offerings to sustain our work
Pray for our denomination and our congregation:
Pray for Elkhorn and surrounding communities for health, economic stability, and the joy of community.
Pray for pastors and church workers worldwide.
Please remember your friends who are alone; pray for them and call or visit them whenever possible.
Please utilize the church’s prayer lists. Let us know how we can pray for you.
THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ELKHORN
111 North Broad Street, Elkhorn WI 53121
Church Office 262-723-2629
[email protected]
Pastor Mike Payne