🌙 Born Anew — In the quiet of night, questions become holy ground and the Spirit whispers of rebirth.

Worship Service – March 1, 2026 | Second Sunday in Lent

Bulletin – 03-01-2026

Scripture: John 3:1–8 (CEB)

On this Second Sunday in Lent, Holy Covenant gathered beneath the theme of rebirth. The cover image of Nicodemus meeting Jesus in the night set the tone: faith is not always loud or certain. Sometimes it comes as a quiet conversation, a courageous question asked in the dark.

Our prelude, “Lead Me to Calvary”, opened a reflective space. In the Centering Prayer, we asked God to quiet the noise within us and make us receptive to being made new. Again and again throughout the liturgy, we named this truth together: “We are being born anew.” In grief and love. In questions and awakening. In justice and in courage.

Singing “Gather Us In”, we proclaimed that new light is streaming even now. Our prayers of confession and transformation acknowledged how we sometimes resist change—clinging to certainty or fearing what transformation may cost. Yet the Words of Grace reminded us that God does not rush or force our becoming. The Spirit works patiently, inviting us to grow gradually, one moment at a time.

A Modern Lesson from Kahlil Gibran reflected on the quiet miracle of rebirth: that every ending prepares the ground for a beginning that could not have existed before. Then in John 3:1–8, we listened as Nicodemus struggled to understand Jesus’ words: “Unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.” Born of water and Spirit. Born beyond literalism. Born into mystery.

In his sermon, “Born Anew,” Rev. Christopher Czarnecki invited us to see rebirth not as a single dramatic moment, but as a lifelong unfolding. We are reborn when our hearts break open. Reborn when our compassion deepens. Reborn when we allow old versions of ourselves to fall away so that something truer can emerge. The Spirit, like wind, cannot be controlled—but it can be trusted.

At the Mystic Supper, voices across generations reminded us that this table belongs to all. Bread was broken and the cup lifted as signs that God’s love and presence remain constant through every stage of becoming. In sharing Communion, we practiced what it means to be one body—diverse, questioning, beloved, and continually made new.

We closed singing “Lord Jesus, Who through Forty Days”, stepping further into Lent with humility and hope. The benediction sent us into the week carrying this assurance: transformation is not a threat. It is grace. And we are always, always being born anew.

📖🙏 Order of Worship Highlights:

• Prelude: “Lead Me to Calvary” (arr. L. Shackley)
• Introit: “Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley”
• Hymn: “Gather Us In” (M. Haugen)
• Prayer of Transformation & Words of Grace
• Song of Response: “Return to God”
• Modern Lesson: Kahlil Gibran
• Gospel: John 3:1–8 (CEB)
• Sermon: “Born Anew” — Rev. Christopher Czarnecki
• Sacrament: Holy Communion — The Mystic Supper
• Communion Music: “Give Me a Clean Heart” (M. Douroux)
• Hymn: “Lord Jesus, Who through Forty Days”
• Postlude: “Finest Wheat” (arr. A. M. David)

“The Spirit blows wherever it wishes… and we are invited to trust the wind.”