The Immediate Word for March 1, 2026
Children's sermon
Liturgy
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
For March 1, 2026:
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean Feldmeyer
John 3:1-17 – When Jesus tells Nicodemus that a person must be born from above, he uses the Aramaic/Hebrew word, ella (ay-LAH), which can mean “from above,” “from the spirit,” or “again.” This triple meaning of one word can lead to a problematic misunderstanding.
Multiple Meanings
We have words like this in English. Contranyms are words that have two meanings that are the exact opposite from each other.
Like “cleave” which can mean to separate (cleave the firewood in two) or cling to (the infant cleaves to its mother).
To screen can mean to show as in “They screened the film” or to hide as in “Trees screened the house from view.”
Even a word as simple as “set” has four distinct and unrelated meanings: To place something somewhere, “He set the book on the table.” Or it can mean a group or collection. “A set of keys.” To solidify or harden, “The concrete needs time to set.” In poker, a “set” is three of a kind.
* * *
John 3:1-17 – When Jesus tells Nicodemus that a person must be “born from above,” the Pharisee misunderstands and thinks he’s saying “born again,” forcing Jesus to clarify what he means.
How To Avoid Misunderstandings
As is the case with Nicodemus, misunderstandings usually don’t come from bad intentions — they come from gaps. Gaps in context, tone, assumptions, or even just timing. But there are a handful of habits that dramatically reduce those gaps and make conversations clearer, calmer, and more humane.
1. Slow down — We often interpret what a person is saying and stop listening before they finish saying it. Wait and let them finish, then pause a couple of seconds before you try to interpret what they meant.
2. Ask simple, gentle clarifying questions that invite — not challenge: “I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” is better than “What’s that supposed to mean?”
3. Paraphrase back to the person what you think they meant without using their exact words.
4. Notice tone and context, not just content: Ask yourself what happened just before the conversation or even what is going on around you.
5. Don’t assume motive and don’t take it personally: Lots of misunderstandings come from assuming a motive that doesn’t exist. For example, something that can be interpreted as critical of you may just be a person trying to solve a problem.
6. Share your interpretation openly: Sometimes the best way to avoid misunderstanding is to put your cards on the table. “Here’s what I’m hearing you say. Tell me if I’m wrong.”
7. Use “I” language when something feels unclear or sharp. Instead of “You’re not making sense.” Try, “I’m having trouble understanding.”
8. Check your own emotional state. If you’re tired, stressed, or already irritated, your brain is more likely to misinterpret neutral statements as negative.
* * *
John 3:1-17 – Jesus explains to Nicodemus that just as we did not control our first, physical birth, neither can we control our spiritual rebirth. It happens or it doesn’t happen. And when it happens, it comes as a gift from above.
Wind, Breath, Spirit
Verse 8 — “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In this beautifully nuanced verse, Jesus uses the wind as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. But it’s more than a metaphor. The word itself carries much meaning.
The Aramaic word Jesus uses is rûaḥ (pronounced ROO-akh) and it can mean:
Wind — a natural force;
Breath — the animating breath of a living creature; and/or
Spirit — a non‑material presence, human or divine.
It is the same with the Hebrew ruach.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a, Romans 4:1-5 — YHWH tells Abram to pick up his stuff, take his family, and start walking. “I’ll tell you when to stop.” And Abram obeys because he has faith in YHWH and God counts faithfulness as righteousness.
Faithfulness = Righteousness
It has been said that faithfulness is the strength to stay committed when everyone else has given up. Here are some people who stayed committed to their values even when others told them not to and the cost of doing so was great:
1. When he was just a teenager, Martin Luther King Jr. made the decision to non-violently resist racism and segregation. He went on to lead the Civil Rights Movement, which changed the course of history.
2. Rosa Parks was a young activist who chose to stand up for her beliefs. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, an act of defiance that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
3. Malala Yousafzai has dedicated her life to fighting for girls' education after she was shot by the Taliban for speaking out on this issue. She has become a powerful voice for change, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
4. When Ellen DeGeneres came out as gay on her TV show in 1997, she faced a lot of backlash. Her show was canceled and she received death threats, but she didn't let that stop her. She continued to be true to herself and eventually became one of the most popular talk show hosts in the world.
Scripture tells us that their faithfulness is counted by God as righteousness.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:
John 3:1-17
Very truly…
Jesus uses the phrase “very truly” three times in today’s pericope from John’s gospel. The Greek is “ἀμὴν ἀμὴν” literally “amen, amen.” The King James version renders this phrase “verily, verily.” The only place in the Bible where this construct appears is in John’s gospel, and only Jesus utters this phrase. The first time Jesus uses this phrase is when He called Nathaniel in 1:51. After Jesus’ conversation with Nathaniel, the appearances of “very truly” come when Jesus is contending with someone or a group of people. The phrase appears to have a kind of divine authority.
In chapter 12, the phrase is a kind of hinge in John’s gospel. Some Greeks come to Philip, wanting to see Jesus. Phil goes to Andrew and together they go to Jesus who says,
The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (vv. 23-26, NRSV)
After that Jesus only says, “very truly” to his disciples.
* * *
John 3:1-17
In the dark
Nicodemus comes to Jesus after dark. “Night and darkness are associated with those — such as the Jewish authorities — who are spiritually blind.” (The Jewish Annotated New Testament, p. 163n.) This pattern is repeated in John 9:39-41, when Jesus talks to the Pharisees after giving sight to the blind man. The Pharisees ask Jesus, “Surely we are not blind, are we?”
“Well, yeah, you pretty much are,” Jesus replies, though that rendering is from The Book of Tom, not the NRSV.
Nicodemus could be channeling the lyrics from Billie Squier’s 1981 hit (#35 on Billboard’s Hot 100) “In the Dark:”
Do you need a friend?
Would you tell no lies?
Would you take me in?
Are you lonely in the dark?
In the dark
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Before
Abram’s genealogy appears in Genesis 11:10-26; these verses do not appear in the Revised Common Lectionary. Abram leaves a lot of people behind: his grandfather, his great-grandfather, his great-great-grandfather….In fact the genealogy goes all the way to Abe’s 8-great grandfather, Shem, a survivor of the Flood. Shem’s father, Noah, had only been dead 17 years when Abram left Ur for Haran. Eleven generations were living in Ur when the youngest three obeyed God’s summons.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
After
The lection ends “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.” It may sound like Abe’s travelling light, but no. He also “took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot and all the possessions that they had gathered and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran.” “And the persons whom they had acquired in Haran.” There is nothing in the text to indicate how large Abram’s entourage was. I’m pretty sure he didn’t pitch his own tent.
* * * * * *
From team member Nazish Naseem:
John 3:1-17
When Wisdom is not Enough
One night, Nicodemus goes to see Jesus. He isn’t just curious — he’s a respected teacher, a man who has spent his life studying Scripture and guiding others. He’s used to thinking things through. Used to relying on his own learning and human wisdom. For years, that’s been enough.
But this night feels different.
The city is quiet. A small lamp burns between them, giving just enough light to see each other’s faces. Not full light. Not complete darkness. Somewhere in between. That’s where Nicodemus seems to be too — not lost, but not fully understanding either.
Jesus tells him, “You must be born again.”
It catches him off guard. How can someone start over after living an entire life? His mind immediately tries to make sense of it. He leans on what he knows. He tries to reason it out. But Jesus isn’t talking about starting over physically. He’s talking about something deeper — something that doesn’t come from study or status or effort.
Nicodemus is slowly realizing that human wisdom has limits.
When Jesus speaks about being born of water and Spirit, it isn’t dramatic or loud. It’s quiet. It’s inward. Like being washed clean where no one else can see. Like something shifting in your heart before it ever shows up in your actions. This kind of new life can’t be earned. It can’t be figured out. It has to be received.
And then Jesus says the words that change everything: “For God so loved the world…”
Now the focus isn’t on rules. It isn’t about proving anything. It’s about love. God’s love. A love that doesn’t wait for perfection. A love that moves toward us, not away from us. God didn’t send His Son to condemn the world, but to save it.
By the end of the conversation, Nicodemus probably doesn’t have every answer. The night hasn’t vanished. But something inside him has begun to change. The man who came relying on his own understanding leaves carrying a small, growing trust.
That’s the journey of faith.
We often start out leaning on ourselves — on our logic, our effort, our need to understand everything. But at some point, we’re invited to let go. To admit we don’t see clearly yet. To trust that love is bigger than our explanations.
Like Nicodemus, we’re invited to step forward — not because we’ve figured it all out, but because we’re willing to believe that God’s love is real, and that it’s meant for us.
* * *
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
When Trust Is Enough
When God promised Abraham descendants, there was nothing in his circumstances to support it. No visible path forward. No natural explanation. If anything was going to happen, God would have to do it.
And Abraham believed Him.
That’s what Paul keeps bringing us back to. Not achievement. Not effort. Not religious performance. Trust. Abraham didn’t produce the miracle. He trusted the One who could.
Martin Luther once described faith as “a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it.” That kind of confidence isn’t loud. It isn’t flashy. It’s steady. It’s choosing to lean your weight on something you can’t yet see.
That’s what Abraham did. He leaned his whole future on God’s promise. Romans 4 invites us to do the same. We’re used to earning things. We’re used to proving ourselves. Even with God, we quietly assume we need to make ourselves worthy. But righteousness isn’t wages. It’s not something handed out at the end of a successful week. It’s a gift given to those who trust the Giver. Abraham stood in front of what looked impossible and chose confidence in God instead of confidence in himself.
And that — Paul says — was enough.
* * *
Psalm 121
Help for the Climb
Psalm 121 reads like something written on the side of a long road.
It was sung by people walking uphill to Jerusalem. Not tourists. Pilgrims. The climb was real. Dust in their sandals. Sun on their backs. Long stretches of road with no shade. When the psalm opens with, “I lift up my eyes to the hills,” it doesn’t feel like someone admiring a sunset. It feels like someone stopping for a moment, looking at the incline ahead, and thinking, this is going to be hard.
The hills were beautiful, yes — but they were also exposed. You could be seen from a distance. You could get lost. You could grow tired quickly. And in those days, hills were also where altars to other gods were often built. So, the question carries weight: Where does my help come from? Is it in what looks strong? In what stands tall? In what appears impressive?
The answer comes quickly and without decoration: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
That line grounds everything. The hills may look powerful, but they are created things. They didn’t make themselves. The One who formed them is greater still. What steadies me in this psalm is the repetition. “The Lord is your keeper.” It’s said more than once, almost like someone trying to calm a nervous heart. He will not slumber. He will not sleep. That matters, because most of the people we rely on eventually grow tired. We grow tired. Our strength fades. Our focus drifts. But this psalm insists that God does not look away, even for a moment.
“The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.” It’s a simple way of saying — whatever time it is, whatever kind of pressure you’re under, you are not unseen. The long, bright hours when everything feels exposed. The quiet, dark hours when worries get louder. Both are covered.
The Psalm doesn’t promise that the road will level out. It doesn’t say the hills disappear. It says you are kept while you walk. And sometimes that’s the deeper comfort. Not that life becomes easier, but that it is not faced alone.
“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” That’s ordinary language. Leaving home in the morning. Coming back at night. Starting a season. Ending one. The steady rhythm of a life lived step by step.
We lift our eyes because the hills are real. But we keep walking because the One who made them is faithful.
Charles Spurgeon, says, “The Lord does not keep His people by shutting them out of trouble, but by sustaining them in it.” That feels honest.
The climb is still a climb. But we are not climbing it by ourselves.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Uprooted by Promise
When you sit with Genesis 12:1–4a for a while, it doesn’t feel like a small moment. It feels like the day everything changed.
Abram is seventy-five. He isn’t searching for adventure. He has a life — land beneath his feet, family around him, routines that feel steady. He knows where he belongs. Then God speaks and tells him to leave his country, his people, and even his father’s household. That isn’t a light request. That’s uprooting.
In that world, your land and your family were your security. To leave meant stepping into vulnerability. And God doesn’t even hand Abram a clear destination. “To the land I will show you.” It’s future tense. The details will come later. For now, there is only the promise: “I will bless you… I will make you into a great nation… all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
The promise is enormous. But at that moment, Abram has no child. No visible sign that any of it will happen. And then comes one of the simplest lines in Scripture: “So Abram went.” No recorded argument. No conditions. Just obedience. And that almost makes us curious. Surely, he had questions. Surely, he felt the weight of it. But Scripture gives us no protest only a step forward.
That step is what the apostle Paul later reflects on in Romans 4. Paul points back to Abraham and writes that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” In other words, what set Abraham apart was not achievement, but trust. He didn’t earn righteousness by doing something spectacular. He received it by believing the One who made the promise. Genesis shows us the movement. Romans explains the meaning. Abraham left before he saw the outcome. He trusted before there was evidence. He walked away from visible security and leaned into God’s word. That is faith — not perfect certainty, but steady confidence in God’s character.
He was uprooted, yes. But he was not abandoned. In leaving what felt stable, he planted his life in something stronger than land or inheritance. He placed his future in the hands of the God who speaks and keeps His promises.
And from that single step of trust, a story began that would stretch far beyond him.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Lift up your eyes to the hills-- from where will our help come?
All: Our help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
One: God will not let our foot be moved; our God does not slumber.
All: The one who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
One: The LORD is our keeper and the shade at our right hand.
All: The LORD will keep us from all evil and will keep our life.
OR
One: Prepare your hearts for our God is coming among us.
All: We lift up our hearts to the God of our salvation.
One: Whether we are known by many or just a few, God knows us.
All: We rejoice in a God who knows each of us by name.
One: Let us share with all the love and grace of God.
All: We will reach out in love to all God’s people.
Hymns and Songs
We Gather Together
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
GTG: 336
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
ELW: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
UMH: 136
GTG: 801
NNBH: 237/241
CH: 78
LBW: 451
ELW: 778
W&P: 86
AMEC: 208
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
GTG: 169
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
It Is Well with My Soul
UMH: 377
GTG: 840
AAHH: 377
NNBH: 255
NCH: 438
CH: 561
ELW: 785
W&P: 428
AMEC: 448
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 365+6
GTG: 475
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELW: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder
UMH: 418
AAHH: 464
NNBH: 217
NCH: 500
AMEC: 363
STLT: 211
Lead Me, Lord
UMH: 473
AAHH: 145
NNBH: 341
CH: 593
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
UMH: 521
PH: 363
GTG: 775
AAHH: 563
NNBH: 500
NCH: 490
CH: 627
W&P: 506
AMEC: 375
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is not content to dwell only in the highest heavens
but comes to dwell with your children in Creation:
Grant us the faith to find you walking with us in this life;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who does not keep yourself apart from us. You are found within your creation. You have come and taken flesh upon yourself. Help us to see you in the midst of our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we are quick to overlook so many of your children.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have been oblivious to your presence among us and especially in the lives of those who serve quietly. We would rather build a large church than to offer the hungry bread. We want to set you in ‘holy places’ so that we have a feeling of being in control. Forgive us and renew us in the mind of Christ. Amen.
One: God comes among us to be in community with us. Often that comes about in the community we share with each other.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God, who seeks us where we live. You do not demand that we go to some special place to find you but you make yourself known in the ordinary.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have been oblivious to your presence among us and especially in the lives of those who serve quietly. We would rather build a large church than to offer the hungry bread. We want to set you in ‘holy places' so that we have a feeling of being in control. Forgive us and renew us in the mind of Christ.
We give you thanks for the way in which you surprise us with your presence. You are gracious and loving to your children. We thank you for those who help us see you in creation and in the faces of others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We lift up into your healing light those who are broken in body, mind, or spirit. We pray for those who find it hard to believe you have come among us.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, March 1, 2026 issue.
Copyright 2026 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Sermon illustrations by Dean Feldmeyer, Tom Willadsen, Nazish Naseem.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- More to come...
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Dean FeldmeyerJohn 3:1-17 – When Jesus tells Nicodemus that a person must be born from above, he uses the Aramaic/Hebrew word, ella (ay-LAH), which can mean “from above,” “from the spirit,” or “again.” This triple meaning of one word can lead to a problematic misunderstanding.
Multiple Meanings
We have words like this in English. Contranyms are words that have two meanings that are the exact opposite from each other.
Like “cleave” which can mean to separate (cleave the firewood in two) or cling to (the infant cleaves to its mother).
To screen can mean to show as in “They screened the film” or to hide as in “Trees screened the house from view.”
Even a word as simple as “set” has four distinct and unrelated meanings: To place something somewhere, “He set the book on the table.” Or it can mean a group or collection. “A set of keys.” To solidify or harden, “The concrete needs time to set.” In poker, a “set” is three of a kind.
* * *
John 3:1-17 – When Jesus tells Nicodemus that a person must be “born from above,” the Pharisee misunderstands and thinks he’s saying “born again,” forcing Jesus to clarify what he means.
How To Avoid Misunderstandings
As is the case with Nicodemus, misunderstandings usually don’t come from bad intentions — they come from gaps. Gaps in context, tone, assumptions, or even just timing. But there are a handful of habits that dramatically reduce those gaps and make conversations clearer, calmer, and more humane.
1. Slow down — We often interpret what a person is saying and stop listening before they finish saying it. Wait and let them finish, then pause a couple of seconds before you try to interpret what they meant.
2. Ask simple, gentle clarifying questions that invite — not challenge: “I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” is better than “What’s that supposed to mean?”
3. Paraphrase back to the person what you think they meant without using their exact words.
4. Notice tone and context, not just content: Ask yourself what happened just before the conversation or even what is going on around you.
5. Don’t assume motive and don’t take it personally: Lots of misunderstandings come from assuming a motive that doesn’t exist. For example, something that can be interpreted as critical of you may just be a person trying to solve a problem.
6. Share your interpretation openly: Sometimes the best way to avoid misunderstanding is to put your cards on the table. “Here’s what I’m hearing you say. Tell me if I’m wrong.”
7. Use “I” language when something feels unclear or sharp. Instead of “You’re not making sense.” Try, “I’m having trouble understanding.”
8. Check your own emotional state. If you’re tired, stressed, or already irritated, your brain is more likely to misinterpret neutral statements as negative.
* * *
John 3:1-17 – Jesus explains to Nicodemus that just as we did not control our first, physical birth, neither can we control our spiritual rebirth. It happens or it doesn’t happen. And when it happens, it comes as a gift from above.
Wind, Breath, Spirit
Verse 8 — “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In this beautifully nuanced verse, Jesus uses the wind as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. But it’s more than a metaphor. The word itself carries much meaning.
The Aramaic word Jesus uses is rûaḥ (pronounced ROO-akh) and it can mean:
Wind — a natural force;
Breath — the animating breath of a living creature; and/or
Spirit — a non‑material presence, human or divine.
It is the same with the Hebrew ruach.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a, Romans 4:1-5 — YHWH tells Abram to pick up his stuff, take his family, and start walking. “I’ll tell you when to stop.” And Abram obeys because he has faith in YHWH and God counts faithfulness as righteousness.
Faithfulness = Righteousness
It has been said that faithfulness is the strength to stay committed when everyone else has given up. Here are some people who stayed committed to their values even when others told them not to and the cost of doing so was great:
1. When he was just a teenager, Martin Luther King Jr. made the decision to non-violently resist racism and segregation. He went on to lead the Civil Rights Movement, which changed the course of history.
2. Rosa Parks was a young activist who chose to stand up for her beliefs. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger, an act of defiance that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
3. Malala Yousafzai has dedicated her life to fighting for girls' education after she was shot by the Taliban for speaking out on this issue. She has become a powerful voice for change, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
4. When Ellen DeGeneres came out as gay on her TV show in 1997, she faced a lot of backlash. Her show was canceled and she received death threats, but she didn't let that stop her. She continued to be true to herself and eventually became one of the most popular talk show hosts in the world.
Scripture tells us that their faithfulness is counted by God as righteousness.
* * * * * *
From team member Tom Willadsen:John 3:1-17
Very truly…
Jesus uses the phrase “very truly” three times in today’s pericope from John’s gospel. The Greek is “ἀμὴν ἀμὴν” literally “amen, amen.” The King James version renders this phrase “verily, verily.” The only place in the Bible where this construct appears is in John’s gospel, and only Jesus utters this phrase. The first time Jesus uses this phrase is when He called Nathaniel in 1:51. After Jesus’ conversation with Nathaniel, the appearances of “very truly” come when Jesus is contending with someone or a group of people. The phrase appears to have a kind of divine authority.
In chapter 12, the phrase is a kind of hinge in John’s gospel. Some Greeks come to Philip, wanting to see Jesus. Phil goes to Andrew and together they go to Jesus who says,
The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. (vv. 23-26, NRSV)
After that Jesus only says, “very truly” to his disciples.
* * *
John 3:1-17
In the dark
Nicodemus comes to Jesus after dark. “Night and darkness are associated with those — such as the Jewish authorities — who are spiritually blind.” (The Jewish Annotated New Testament, p. 163n.) This pattern is repeated in John 9:39-41, when Jesus talks to the Pharisees after giving sight to the blind man. The Pharisees ask Jesus, “Surely we are not blind, are we?”
“Well, yeah, you pretty much are,” Jesus replies, though that rendering is from The Book of Tom, not the NRSV.
Nicodemus could be channeling the lyrics from Billie Squier’s 1981 hit (#35 on Billboard’s Hot 100) “In the Dark:”
Do you need a friend?
Would you tell no lies?
Would you take me in?
Are you lonely in the dark?
In the dark
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Before
Abram’s genealogy appears in Genesis 11:10-26; these verses do not appear in the Revised Common Lectionary. Abram leaves a lot of people behind: his grandfather, his great-grandfather, his great-great-grandfather….In fact the genealogy goes all the way to Abe’s 8-great grandfather, Shem, a survivor of the Flood. Shem’s father, Noah, had only been dead 17 years when Abram left Ur for Haran. Eleven generations were living in Ur when the youngest three obeyed God’s summons.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
After
The lection ends “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.” It may sound like Abe’s travelling light, but no. He also “took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot and all the possessions that they had gathered and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran.” “And the persons whom they had acquired in Haran.” There is nothing in the text to indicate how large Abram’s entourage was. I’m pretty sure he didn’t pitch his own tent.
* * * * * *
From team member Nazish Naseem:John 3:1-17
When Wisdom is not Enough
One night, Nicodemus goes to see Jesus. He isn’t just curious — he’s a respected teacher, a man who has spent his life studying Scripture and guiding others. He’s used to thinking things through. Used to relying on his own learning and human wisdom. For years, that’s been enough.
But this night feels different.
The city is quiet. A small lamp burns between them, giving just enough light to see each other’s faces. Not full light. Not complete darkness. Somewhere in between. That’s where Nicodemus seems to be too — not lost, but not fully understanding either.
Jesus tells him, “You must be born again.”
It catches him off guard. How can someone start over after living an entire life? His mind immediately tries to make sense of it. He leans on what he knows. He tries to reason it out. But Jesus isn’t talking about starting over physically. He’s talking about something deeper — something that doesn’t come from study or status or effort.
Nicodemus is slowly realizing that human wisdom has limits.
When Jesus speaks about being born of water and Spirit, it isn’t dramatic or loud. It’s quiet. It’s inward. Like being washed clean where no one else can see. Like something shifting in your heart before it ever shows up in your actions. This kind of new life can’t be earned. It can’t be figured out. It has to be received.
And then Jesus says the words that change everything: “For God so loved the world…”
Now the focus isn’t on rules. It isn’t about proving anything. It’s about love. God’s love. A love that doesn’t wait for perfection. A love that moves toward us, not away from us. God didn’t send His Son to condemn the world, but to save it.
By the end of the conversation, Nicodemus probably doesn’t have every answer. The night hasn’t vanished. But something inside him has begun to change. The man who came relying on his own understanding leaves carrying a small, growing trust.
That’s the journey of faith.
We often start out leaning on ourselves — on our logic, our effort, our need to understand everything. But at some point, we’re invited to let go. To admit we don’t see clearly yet. To trust that love is bigger than our explanations.
Like Nicodemus, we’re invited to step forward — not because we’ve figured it all out, but because we’re willing to believe that God’s love is real, and that it’s meant for us.
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Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
When Trust Is Enough
When God promised Abraham descendants, there was nothing in his circumstances to support it. No visible path forward. No natural explanation. If anything was going to happen, God would have to do it.
And Abraham believed Him.
That’s what Paul keeps bringing us back to. Not achievement. Not effort. Not religious performance. Trust. Abraham didn’t produce the miracle. He trusted the One who could.
Martin Luther once described faith as “a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it.” That kind of confidence isn’t loud. It isn’t flashy. It’s steady. It’s choosing to lean your weight on something you can’t yet see.
That’s what Abraham did. He leaned his whole future on God’s promise. Romans 4 invites us to do the same. We’re used to earning things. We’re used to proving ourselves. Even with God, we quietly assume we need to make ourselves worthy. But righteousness isn’t wages. It’s not something handed out at the end of a successful week. It’s a gift given to those who trust the Giver. Abraham stood in front of what looked impossible and chose confidence in God instead of confidence in himself.
And that — Paul says — was enough.
* * *
Psalm 121
Help for the Climb
Psalm 121 reads like something written on the side of a long road.
It was sung by people walking uphill to Jerusalem. Not tourists. Pilgrims. The climb was real. Dust in their sandals. Sun on their backs. Long stretches of road with no shade. When the psalm opens with, “I lift up my eyes to the hills,” it doesn’t feel like someone admiring a sunset. It feels like someone stopping for a moment, looking at the incline ahead, and thinking, this is going to be hard.
The hills were beautiful, yes — but they were also exposed. You could be seen from a distance. You could get lost. You could grow tired quickly. And in those days, hills were also where altars to other gods were often built. So, the question carries weight: Where does my help come from? Is it in what looks strong? In what stands tall? In what appears impressive?
The answer comes quickly and without decoration: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
That line grounds everything. The hills may look powerful, but they are created things. They didn’t make themselves. The One who formed them is greater still. What steadies me in this psalm is the repetition. “The Lord is your keeper.” It’s said more than once, almost like someone trying to calm a nervous heart. He will not slumber. He will not sleep. That matters, because most of the people we rely on eventually grow tired. We grow tired. Our strength fades. Our focus drifts. But this psalm insists that God does not look away, even for a moment.
“The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.” It’s a simple way of saying — whatever time it is, whatever kind of pressure you’re under, you are not unseen. The long, bright hours when everything feels exposed. The quiet, dark hours when worries get louder. Both are covered.
The Psalm doesn’t promise that the road will level out. It doesn’t say the hills disappear. It says you are kept while you walk. And sometimes that’s the deeper comfort. Not that life becomes easier, but that it is not faced alone.
“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” That’s ordinary language. Leaving home in the morning. Coming back at night. Starting a season. Ending one. The steady rhythm of a life lived step by step.
We lift our eyes because the hills are real. But we keep walking because the One who made them is faithful.
Charles Spurgeon, says, “The Lord does not keep His people by shutting them out of trouble, but by sustaining them in it.” That feels honest.
The climb is still a climb. But we are not climbing it by ourselves.
* * *
Genesis 12:1-4a
Uprooted by Promise
When you sit with Genesis 12:1–4a for a while, it doesn’t feel like a small moment. It feels like the day everything changed.
Abram is seventy-five. He isn’t searching for adventure. He has a life — land beneath his feet, family around him, routines that feel steady. He knows where he belongs. Then God speaks and tells him to leave his country, his people, and even his father’s household. That isn’t a light request. That’s uprooting.
In that world, your land and your family were your security. To leave meant stepping into vulnerability. And God doesn’t even hand Abram a clear destination. “To the land I will show you.” It’s future tense. The details will come later. For now, there is only the promise: “I will bless you… I will make you into a great nation… all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
The promise is enormous. But at that moment, Abram has no child. No visible sign that any of it will happen. And then comes one of the simplest lines in Scripture: “So Abram went.” No recorded argument. No conditions. Just obedience. And that almost makes us curious. Surely, he had questions. Surely, he felt the weight of it. But Scripture gives us no protest only a step forward.
That step is what the apostle Paul later reflects on in Romans 4. Paul points back to Abraham and writes that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” In other words, what set Abraham apart was not achievement, but trust. He didn’t earn righteousness by doing something spectacular. He received it by believing the One who made the promise. Genesis shows us the movement. Romans explains the meaning. Abraham left before he saw the outcome. He trusted before there was evidence. He walked away from visible security and leaned into God’s word. That is faith — not perfect certainty, but steady confidence in God’s character.
He was uprooted, yes. But he was not abandoned. In leaving what felt stable, he planted his life in something stronger than land or inheritance. He placed his future in the hands of the God who speaks and keeps His promises.
And from that single step of trust, a story began that would stretch far beyond him.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship
One: Lift up your eyes to the hills-- from where will our help come?
All: Our help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
One: God will not let our foot be moved; our God does not slumber.
All: The one who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
One: The LORD is our keeper and the shade at our right hand.
All: The LORD will keep us from all evil and will keep our life.
OR
One: Prepare your hearts for our God is coming among us.
All: We lift up our hearts to the God of our salvation.
One: Whether we are known by many or just a few, God knows us.
All: We rejoice in a God who knows each of us by name.
One: Let us share with all the love and grace of God.
All: We will reach out in love to all God’s people.
Hymns and Songs
We Gather Together
UMH: 131
H82: 433
PH: 559
GTG: 336
NNBH: 326
NCH: 421
CH: 276
ELW: 449
W&P: 81
AMEC: 576
STLT: 349
The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want
UMH: 136
GTG: 801
NNBH: 237/241
CH: 78
LBW: 451
ELW: 778
W&P: 86
AMEC: 208
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
GTG: 169
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
It Is Well with My Soul
UMH: 377
GTG: 840
AAHH: 377
NNBH: 255
NCH: 438
CH: 561
ELW: 785
W&P: 428
AMEC: 448
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
UMH: 400
H82: 686
PH: 365+6
GTG: 475
AAHH: 175
NNBH: 166
NCH: 459
CH: 16
LBW: 499
ELW: 807
W&P: 68
AMEC: 77
STLT: 126
We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder
UMH: 418
AAHH: 464
NNBH: 217
NCH: 500
AMEC: 363
STLT: 211
Lead Me, Lord
UMH: 473
AAHH: 145
NNBH: 341
CH: 593
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
UMH: 521
PH: 363
GTG: 775
AAHH: 563
NNBH: 500
NCH: 490
CH: 627
W&P: 506
AMEC: 375
Music Resources Key
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
GTG: Glory to God, The Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is not content to dwell only in the highest heavens
but comes to dwell with your children in Creation:
Grant us the faith to find you walking with us in this life;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are the one who does not keep yourself apart from us. You are found within your creation. You have come and taken flesh upon yourself. Help us to see you in the midst of our lives. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially when we are quick to overlook so many of your children.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have been oblivious to your presence among us and especially in the lives of those who serve quietly. We would rather build a large church than to offer the hungry bread. We want to set you in ‘holy places’ so that we have a feeling of being in control. Forgive us and renew us in the mind of Christ. Amen.
One: God comes among us to be in community with us. Often that comes about in the community we share with each other.
Prayers of the People
Praise and glory are yours, O God, who seeks us where we live. You do not demand that we go to some special place to find you but you make yourself known in the ordinary.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We have been oblivious to your presence among us and especially in the lives of those who serve quietly. We would rather build a large church than to offer the hungry bread. We want to set you in ‘holy places' so that we have a feeling of being in control. Forgive us and renew us in the mind of Christ.
We give you thanks for the way in which you surprise us with your presence. You are gracious and loving to your children. We thank you for those who help us see you in creation and in the faces of others.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for all your children in their need. We lift up into your healing light those who are broken in body, mind, or spirit. We pray for those who find it hard to believe you have come among us.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
Hear us as we pray for others: (Time for silent or spoken prayer.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, March 1, 2026 issue.
Copyright 2026 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
