Worship Elements — When Grief Meets Hope
John 11 (selected verses) (CEB) · Witnesses: Encountering Jesus When It Matters Most
These worship elements are designed for the Sunday service on February 22, 2026 at McPherson First United Methodist Church. Pastors and worship leaders are welcome to adapt them for your own context.
Welcome
Grief has a way of making us question everything we thought we believed—and today’s scripture meets us right there.
Welcome to worship at McPherson First United Methodist Church! I’m [NAME], and I’m delighted you’re here this morning.
At McPherson First, we aim to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Whether you’ve been part of this congregation for decades or this is your very first Sunday, you belong here.
We grow as followers of Jesus through five practices: prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. You’ll hear each of these named as we worship together today.
If you’re new or looking for your next step, visit mcphersonfirst.org/next or download the Church Center app—you can check in, request prayer, find ways to serve, or give. You can also text CONNECT to 620-241-3626 to stay in the loop.
Call to Worship
Leader: In our grief, God draws near.
People: We bring our sorrow and our hope to this place.
Leader: Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend.
People: We worship a God who knows our tears.
Leader: Christ declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
People: We trust that death does not have the final word.
Leader: Jesus asks us, “Do you believe this?”
People: We gather to respond with hearts open to faith.
Opening Prayer
God of the living, we come carrying grief we cannot explain and hope we struggle to hold. Meet us here in the space between sorrow and trust. Open our hearts to your presence and speak life where we see only endings. Amen.
Welcome Your Neighbor
If you’re joining us for the first time today, we’re especially glad you’re here. Take a moment to introduce yourself to someone nearby—and if you see someone new, make sure they feel welcome.
If you’re worshiping online, say hello in the comments.
One of the ways we grow as followers of Jesus is through witness—welcoming others as Christ welcomes us and inviting people to experience this community. Who might you invite to join us next week?
Please stand, greet those around you, and remain standing as we join in singing together.
Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Jesus stood at the tomb of someone he loved—and wept. He invites us to bring our own grief and longing to him.
One of the ways we grow as followers of Jesus is through prayer. Prayer connects us to God and each other, and we carry each other in prayer throughout the week. If you have a prayer request, share it through the Church Center app or at mcphersonfirst.org/next. You can also text PRAY to 620-241-3626. And if you’d like to join our prayer team, text PRAYERTEAM to receive requests throughout the week.
Will you join me as we go to God in prayer?
God of resurrection hope, you meet us in the places where grief and faith collide. We pause now to center our hearts in your presence.
[Pause]
We praise you for your faithfulness that outlasts every sorrow, your love that pursues us even when we feel abandoned, your promise that death does not write the final chapter of our story. Like Martha, we sometimes wonder where you were when our hearts were breaking. And like Martha, we discover that you were never far away.
We confess the times we have given up too soon, buried our hope before you had spoken, or let grief harden into bitterness rather than opening us to new life. Forgive us when we have failed to trust your timing or doubted your goodness.
[Pause for silent confession]
We thank you for moments when hope broke through—for unexpected comfort, for community that showed up, for glimpses of resurrection in ordinary days. We thank you for those who have walked with us through valleys and pointed us toward light.
We pray now for those in this congregation who are grieving—whether the loss is fresh or has been carried for years. Meet them as Jesus met Martha and Mary: with presence, with tears, with power. We pray for those facing illness, for caregivers exhausted by the long watch, for families navigating difficult decisions. We pray for our community—for those who feel forgotten, for places where despair has taken root, for leaders seeking wisdom.
We offer all these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying…
Invitation to Give and Check-In
Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, but notice what he said next: “Untie him and let him go.” Resurrection required human hands. When we give, we become those hands—participating in God’s ongoing work of bringing life where there was death, hope where there was despair.
One of the ways we grow as followers of Jesus is through giving—offering our gifts to support God’s work in this place and beyond. You can give through the offering plates, the Church Center app, or at mcphersonfirst.org/next. Thank you to those who give regularly—your generosity sustains our mission.
We also grow through presence—showing up and serving in this community. Check in using the blue attendance pads, the Church Center app, or at mcphersonfirst.org/next. And if you’re ready to find your place to serve in our ministries, you can do that through the app or website too.
Ushers, will you please come forward to receive the offering?
Prayer of Thanksgiving (Non-Communion)
We’ve offered our gifts. Now we’re sent to serve—to be God’s hands and feet in our community. Will you pray with me?
God of new life, you call forth hope from places that seemed dead and finished. We thank you for the generosity represented in these gifts. Use what we offer to unbind those held captive by grief and despair, bringing your resurrection power to every corner of our community. Amen.
Will you please stand as we sing together?
Benediction
Jesus asks each of us: “Do you believe this?” Go trusting that the God who calls the dead to life is at work in your story.
Love boldly. Serve joyfully. Lead courageously. Now go in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!
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These worship elements are part of the Witnesses: Encountering Jesus When It Matters Mostseries at McPherson First United Methodist Church. New worship resources are published every Tuesday.
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