Psalm 121
Genesis 12:1-4a
John 3:1-17
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Jesus is instructing Nicodemus and chides him for not understanding the New Birth. “…unless you are born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Evangelicals are often distinguished as “born again Christians.” This implies that there are other kinds of Christians. However, according to Jesus, the New Birth and being a Christian cannot be distinguished from one another. This week, we’ll be focusing on the New Birth and the Holy Spirit’s work in us to bring it about. “Breathe new life into my willing soul,” will be our plea. We will also repeat the song, “From Jesus’ Side” from last week. This focuses our attention on 1) our need for salvation, 2) Christ’s atonement for our sin, and 3) the Church which is a result of his atonement. We end the set with the chorus, “Hallelujah, I am born again, He’s alive now! I’m alive in Him!” As a Lenten song, our call to worship will be the hymn, “Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days,” set to the tune of “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” The service will end with the introduction of a metrical version of Psalm 121 from the Crown and Covenant Psalter.
