Sunday Service 15th March 2026
for Sunday 15th March
Today’s service is led by Emma Howarth
Introduction
Hello, and welcome to the service for Sunday 15th March 2026 for the United Reformed Church. My name is Emma Howarth. I am the Training and Development officer for Mersey Synod and I am so glad to welcome you this morning. I hope you enjoy the service
Greeting
The grace and peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
Let us worship God.
Call to Worship
Come everybody, gather to worship. Everybody’s welcome, God is here! Come if you’re weary, hungry or thirsty. Everybody’s welcome, God is here! Bring your rejoicing, dancing and singing. Everybody’s welcome, God is here! Bring all your failures, questions and sorrows. Everybody’s welcome, God is here! All shapes and sizes, faces and backgrounds. Everybody’s welcome, God is here! All to the glory of Jesus our saviour. Everybody’s welcome, God is here! Everybody’s welcome, God is here! Everybody’s welcome, God is here! This is your day and we shall praise you! This is your day and we shall declare your name! This is your day, and we shall worship a risen Saviour and our King!
Hymn Christ Be Our Light
Bernadette Farrell (born 1957) © 1994 Bernadette Farrell OCP Publications OneLicense
No. A-734713 Sung by Chris Brunelle and used with his kind permission.
Longing for light,
we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth,
we turn to you.
Make us your own,
your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Christ be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ be our light!
Shine in your Church
gathered today.
2 Longing for peace,
our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone
has pow’r to save us.
Make us your living voice.
3 Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others, shared until all are fed.
Gracious God, Father Son and Holy Spirit
We come before you as your beloved children. Hear our cry.
Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess we have failed you as did your first disciples.
We ask for your mercy and your help.
Our selfishness betrays you:
Lord, forgive us. Christ have mercy.
We fail to share the pain of your suffering:
Lord, forgive us. Christ have mercy.
We run away from those who abuse you:
Lord, forgive us. Christ have mercy.
We are afraid of being known to belong to you:
Lord, forgive us. Christ have mercy.
May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer of Illumination
Lord God Almighty
Your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
May our heads understand what you ask of us,
our hearts be stirred into action for you,
and our hands be put to your work. Amen.
Reading 1 Samuel 16: 1-13
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do, and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said, “Peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely his anointed is now before the LORD.” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him, for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. The LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
Reading Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
Hymn The King of Love My Shepherd Is
Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877) Public Domain Sung by the Sunday 7pm choir of St. Francis de Sales Church in Ajax, Ontario, Canada and used with their kind permission.
The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness fails me never;
I nothing lack if I am his
and he is mine for ever.
2 Where streams of
living water flow
to rest my soul he leads me,
and, where the rich
green pastures grow
with heavenly food he feeds me.
3 Perverse and foolish
I have strayed,
but yet in love he sought me,
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me
4 In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
with you, dear Lord, beside me;
your rod and staff my comfort still,
your cross before to guide me.
5 You spread a table in my sight;
your saving grace bestowing;
and O what joy and true delight
from your pure chalice flowing!
6 And so through all my length of days your goodness fails me never:
good Shepherd, may I sing your praise within your house for ever.
Reading Ephesians 5:8-14
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness; rather, expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly, but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Reading St John 9:1-41
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the he.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
Hymn We Cannot Measure How You Heal
John L Bell (born 1949) and Graham Maule (1958-2019) © 1989, 1996 WGRG, Iona Community, OneLicence No. # A-734713 performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.
yet we believe your grace responds where faith and doubt unite to care.
Your hands, though bloodied on the Cross, survive to hold
and heal and warn, to carry all through death to life and cradle children yet unborn.
2 The pain that will not go away,
the guilt that clings
from things long past,
the fear of what the future holds,
are present as if meant to last.
But present too is love which tends
the hurt we never hoped to find,
the private agonies inside,
the memories that haunt the mind.
3 So some have come who need your help,
and some have come to make amends,
as hands which shaped and saved the world
are present in the touch of friends.
Lord, let your Spirit meet us here
to mend the body, mind and soul,
to disentangle peace from pain
and make your broken people whole.
Sermon
I come from a church tradition of infant baptism. I was baptised as were my sister and my parents, my grandparents and so on. When we had our children, we duly had them baptised. There were numerous reasons. We were part of an active lively church family, and it was a public celebration of their birth. More importantly to us it was a public dedication of each child to God before their church family. As the sign of the cross was marked on the baby’s head they were marked as Christ’s own and anointed to carry the name of God with them. It was all symbolic of course. Nothing physically happened to them nor did anything immense happen around them. Many people choose not to have this sacrament but for us, it was a sacrament – an outward sign of God’s grace – that we wanted to publicly declare. Our children – whether they choose it or not – are marked as belonging to Christ.
Anointing is similar – the nuance is slightly different – but it is an outward sign of an inward dedication to God. Anointing is a gesture that symbolises being set apart to do God’s will or for a special purpose.
Samuel, the kingmaker, has been sent to find the king that God has determined will lead Israel. King Saul has turned out to be a poor king and God has other plans. Samuel must have been quite surprised to be sent to Bethlehem. To us is sounds obvious and we are very familiar with it, but in those days it would have been just another town. Samuel arrives at the town and is asked if he comes in peace. The townsfolk were probably suspicious of anyone coming from the Royal household – why would he be here, what has drawn the attention of the authorities, is this trouble for the town? There must have been much confusion. So he arrives at the household of Jesse, father of eight sons and two daughters. We hear how each son is presented and God tells Samuel, “No, this is not the one.” Again, this must have been baffling for those present. This was a time of the patriarchy, when there was a heavy emphasis of lineage and accession, the 8thson was the least likely to be the one. I wonder how the other seven felt. Anger? Disappointment? Jealousy? And David himself, certainly confusion, but maybe fear, trepidation as well. Samuel anoints David and the spirit of the Lord was upon him from that moment onwards.
David was chosen by God when others overlooked him. Verse 7 reminds us that God sees the heart, not the outward appearance or the Message translation puts it as “Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” David wasn’t even in the room—he was tending sheep. Yet God chose him.
David was overlooked by his family, but chosen by God. When I was at school I was not known for my sporting prowess, in fact I hated playing netball which is what the girls seemed to do most of the time. The reason I hated it was not because of the actual playing – I quite liked that – but it was the picking of the team at the start of the lesson. It felt like I was always last to be picked. Well David wasn’t just last—he wasn’t even considered! But God saw his heart. “Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
Today’s is Psalm 23 and it says “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” What an image. “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Anointing brings overflow, an excess of favour, strength, and ability from God. The Psalm imagery builds up a picture that says – you are chosen by God, you are anointed and set apart for Him, you are a resident in his keeping not a stranger.
This means you. You have been set apart world and chosen to be Christ’s head heart and hands in the world. Self-doubt, other people, society and so on, they can tell you that you are nothing special. They can say that you are too thin, not thin enough, too clever, not clever enough, too serious, not serious enough, not enough. The trouble is we are bombarded with this message from everywhere even if it is unintentional. Then we believe it. If God has chosen you, no one can cancel that calling. Tell yourself this. No one can cancel it. Like David, whose hidden time in the fields with his sheep was moulding and readying him for his true calling, stay faithful in your hidden season. Your “shepherd field” is shaping your heart for the palace.
We are reminded in Romans 12 to live differently—holy, surrendered, available. We have probably all heard the phrase “be in the world not of the world”. Think of an elite sports person, they have a different lifestyle to me, and probably you although I cannot make assumptions, and this is because they are set apart for a purpose. Likewise, we live differently because we’re set apart for God’s kingdom. This is easy to say but how do we do it? Firstly, guard your heart – consider the things that can chip away – the desire for bigger, better, faster, more. Stay faithful where you are – God has placed you for a reason and be sure it is part of His plan, even if this phase is lasting longer than you want it to. Live with truthfulness even if this is hidden – keep your values aligned with those of God.
Consider why you have been anointed for God. A firefighter doesn’t wear the uniform to look good—it’s for action. Our anointing is the same—it’s for mission, not decoration. We are disciples of Jesus – that is we are apprentices to the way he lived. We are the head, hands and heart of Jesus wherever we are stood. We are anointed to go out to talk faith and live faith every day in our workplace, home, shops, social groups, wherever we are placed.
Where is God sending you—your workplace, family, community?
Hymn Lord of Life We Come To You
Catherine Walker © St Mungo Music Songs from Macduff Parish Church. Vocalist Aileen Sim Accompanist Morven McNeil Violin Rebecca Barnard OneLicence No. # A-734713
Lord of life, we come to you
Lord of all, our Saviour be;
come to bless and to heal,
with the light of your love.
Through the days of doubt and toil,
in our joy and in our pain,
guide our steps in your way,
make us one in your love.
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.
Prayers of Intercession
Good Shepherd, within your embrace you keep us safe and secure
and you hold us as a shepherd holds his lambs.
We know that we are precious in your sight,
knowing your love and belonging to you.
Bind us together as one flock with one shepherd.
Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find comfort and healing.
We bring to you those who are weak,
or struggling with physical, mental or spiritual health.
Bring comfort, grace and healing
for those we now name in the silence of our hearts.
Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find justice.
We bring to you all who cry out for freedom,
those prepared to stand up and be heard.
We pray for those who have been imprisoned or tortured
because of who they are.
We pray for those who have fled their own lands
believing they would be safe on our shores
but have been met with fear, hatred and rejection.
Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find peace.
We bring to you those affected by war,
for refugees wandering this earth in search of a home,
for all victims of strife and warfare,
and for the peacemakers who have dedicated their lives
for the search for peace and reconciliation.
Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
Good Shepherd, within your embrace we find direction and hope.
We bring before you leaders at all levels:
church, local, national and worldwide.
We pray for wisdom, compassion and a sense of justice.
Come, let us bow down before the LORD our Maker.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Amen
Offertory
Let us bring our gifts before God and offer ourselves to Him. Let us pray.
Gracious God
In your generosity you pour out your love on us.
Receive these monetary offerings
and those that go directly to the bank.
Receive our time, talents and lives.
All things come from you,
and we offer them back to You to further Your Kingdom.
Amen.
Hymn Christ is the World’s True Light
George Wallace Briggs (1875-1959) © Oxford University Press
OneLicence No. # A-734713 Sung by the Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Michigan) Virtual Choir with James Biery, organist and director.
Christ is the world’s true Light,
its Captain of salvation,
the Daystar clear and bright
desire of every nation;
New life, new hope awakes,
for all who own his sway:
freedom her bondage breaks,
and night is turned to day.
2 In Christ all races meet,
their ancient feuds forgetting,
the whole round world complete,
from sunrise to its setting:
when Christ is known as Lord,
all shall forsake their fear,
to ploughshare beat the sword,
to pruning-hook the spear.
3 One Lord, in one great name unite us all who own thee;
cast out our pride and shame that hinder to enthrone thee;
the world has waited long, has travailed long in pain;
to heal its ancient wrong, come, Prince of Peace, and reign.
Blessing
May our Gracious God go out with us into the world.
May we be the head, heart and hands of God.
And may the blessing of God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
rest upon us, those we love
and those that we find it difficult to love,
now and until we meet again.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ, Amen.