March 15, 2026

PRELUDE                                                          “Ash Grove”                        arr. Philip Keveren

INTROIT                            "O Worship the Lord"                                      Robert McCutchan

WELCOME                                                                    Rev. Trip Porch

One: This is the day that the Lord has made

All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.  

*CALL TO WORSHIP

One:  We come to this place from different directions.

Many:  Some of us have been on a long road home.

                 Some of us have been holding  the door closed.

One:  We come to a God who does not wait for us to have it all figured out.

Many:  A God who has been watching the road.

               A God who runs out to meet us.

One:  So let us worship the One whose love is wider than our ledgers.

Many:  Whose grace is more stubborn than our grievances.

One:  Let us worship God.

All:  Thanks be to God. Let us worship together. 

*HYMN 753                           “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace”                           PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION                                                           Robin Murray      

Merciful God, we confess that we have been harder on ourselves than you have ever been. We have rehearsed our failures until they felt like our identity. We have decided we are too far gone, too flawed, too much of a disappointment to deserve the love you keep offering. And we confess that we have been harder on others than you have ever been. We have kept careful accounts of what people owe us. We have let the harm done to us become the whole of how we see the one who caused it. Forgive us, God, for the ways we withhold from ourselves and from others the grace that you give freely. Loosen our grip on our ledgers. Remind us that we are loved, and teach us to love in kind. Amen.

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON                                                          Rev. Trip Porch

*RESPONSE OF PARDON 851 “Come, Bring Your Burdens to God”      Woza Nomthwalo Wakho

*PASSING OF THE PEACE                                                                  

One:   The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,

All:      And also with you.

WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD

ANTHEM                                "O Love”                                                           Elaine Hagenberg               

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE                                                                                                                  

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION                                                                   

SCRIPTURE      Luke 15: 1-3, 11b-32  CEB                                                                                 

SERMON 

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

*HYMN                   “We’re Part of the Blessing”          Text by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

We're part of the blessing of God's new creation;
The world may not see it, but we know it's true.
For God in Christ Jesus has given salvation;
The old life is gone! God makes everything new!
We're part of the blessing, for we are God's children.
We're loved and forgiven! We're welcomed back home.
And now we are called to be part of God's kingdom,
To welcome the children God claims as his own.

A man had two sons and the younger said to him,
"I want my inheritance now! It is mine!"
His father divided the property with him;
That son spent it all and was soon feeding swine.
But then he remembered his father providing;

He thought he would beg to go home as a slave.
His dad saw him coming as he stood there waiting;
He ran out to greet him and welcome and save.

 We're part of the blessing of God's new creation;

As we have been welcomed, may we share God's grace.
There's no room for grumbling in God's gracious kingdom;
There's no place to question God's loving embrace.
The outcast, the sinner, the poor, struggling mother,
The addict, the seeker, the one who is lost —
God welcomes them home and invites them to dinner
God runs out to greet us through Christ and his cross.

Text: Copyright © 2016 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE  followed by the Lord’s Prayer using debts and debtors.

TIME OF OFFERING   online giving is available at  www. indianolapres.org/give 

OFFERTORY                        “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart”                arr. Douglas E. Wagner                      

*OFFERTORY RESPONSE  698           “Take, O Take Me as I Am”                              TAKE ME AS I AM

*PRAYER OF DEDICATION 

God of open doors and long roads, we return to you what was already yours. These gifts are our way of saying yes to the invitation you keep extending. Use them to open doors, to go out to people who are standing in the yard, to set tables where everyone has a place. We offer them in gratitude, and in trust. Amen.

*HYMN 754                                “Help Us Accept Each Other”                                                      BARONITA

TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING 

CHARGE & BENEDICTION

CHORAL RESPONSE        "The Lord Bless You and Keep You"                           James D. Wetzel

POSTLUDE                   “Presto” from Sonata in C Major, Op. 33 No. 3                      Muzio Clementi            

  Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452