Worship Elements — When Violence Reveals Us
John 19:1-16a (CEB) · Witnesses: Encountering Jesus When It Matters Most
These worship elements are designed for the Sunday service on March 22, 2026 at McPherson First United Methodist Church. Pastors and worship leaders are welcome to adapt them for your own context.
Welcome
Crowds can be powerful things—they can lift us up or carry us somewhere we never intended to go. Today’s scripture asks us an uncomfortable question: What do we become when fear takes hold?
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: We gather before God who sees us as we truly are.
People: We come with hearts that long to be transformed.
Leader: In the presence of Jesus, our pretenses fall away.
People: We bring our fears and our failures to this place.
Leader: God does not turn from us in our brokenness.
People: We find hope in a love that will not let us go.
Leader: Come, let us worship the One who calls us to courage.
People: We open ourselves to God’s truth and grace.
Opening Prayer
God of truth, you see what we hide from ourselves and love us still. Open our eyes to see clearly—both the harm in the world and our part in it. Give us courage to choose a different way. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Welcome Your Neighbor
One of the five ways we grow as disciples is through witness—welcoming others as Christ welcomes us and inviting others to experience this community. As you greet those around you, consider who’s not here—who might you invite to worship next week?
Take a moment now to welcome your neighbor. Introduce yourself to someone sitting nearby, especially someone you don’t know yet.
If you’re worshiping online, say hello in the comments.
Will you please stand and welcome your neighbor?
Invitation to Prayer and Pastoral Prayer
We’ve heard a difficult story—a story where the crowd chose violence over truth. Now we bring our own hearts before God, trusting that we can be honest about what we find there. One of the five ways we grow as disciples is through prayers—building a real relationship with God through honest conversation.
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.
Will you pray with me?
God of justice and mercy, we come to you knowing that you see us fully—not just who we want to be, but who we actually are. We pause now to quiet the noise within us and listen for your voice.
[Moment of silence]
We praise you for your unflinching love that meets us even in our darkest moments. You stand with the suffering. You speak truth to power. You refuse to abandon the vulnerable, even when we do.
We confess that we have been part of crowds that caused harm. We have stayed silent when we should have spoken. We have chosen comfort over courage. We have benefited from systems that hurt our neighbors while pretending not to see. Forgive us for the ways fear has shaped us into people we never meant to become.
[Moment of silence]
We thank you that confession is not the end of the story. Thank you for the grace that meets us here and the Spirit that empowers us to live differently. Thank you for communities where we can practice courage together.
Now we bring before you those who suffer from violence and injustice: those in our congregation carrying wounds they haven’t named, those in McPherson facing discrimination or marginalization, those around the world crying out for someone to see them. We pray for those who work for peace and justice—strengthen their hands and hearts. We pray for ourselves—that we would have eyes to see and courage to act.
We offer all these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying…
[Lord’s Prayer]
Invitation to Give and Check-In
Today’s scripture shows us what happens when people go along with injustice to protect themselves. Our giving is an act of resistance—a declaration that we will use our resources not for self-protection but for the healing of our neighbors and our world.
Now we practice gifts—one of the five ways we grow as followers of Jesus. 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 practice presence—showing up and participating actively. Whether you’re here in person or online, check in through the Church Center app, at mcphersonfirst.org/next, or if you’re here in person you can tell us you’re here using the attendance pad near the center aisle and then passing it down to others in your row. Your presence matters to this community.
Ushers, please come forward to receive our offerings.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
We’ve given our gifts. Now we’re sent to practice service—to be God’s hands and feet in our community. Will you pray with me?
God of courage, we thank you for these gifts and the hearts that offered them. Use what we’ve given to stand with those who suffer and to build a community where violence gives way to peace. Send us from this place to be different—to choose truth over fear, justice over comfort. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
Will you please stand as we sing together?
Benediction
This week, notice the crowds you’re part of—at work, online, in your community. When you feel the pull toward silence or complicity, remember: you can choose differently. The Spirit gives you courage.
Go now to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And all God’s people said… 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.