Sunday 15 March 2026
Fourth Sunday of Lent
Welcome!
Welcome to excerpts from the worship held within the newly formed Westhills Church of Scotland Congregation. We know that not all members of the congregation are able to be in church on Sunday morning; offering these excerpts from the Sunday morning service might help you feel included. Where we can, we offer parts of the service in text and audio, whichever works best for you.
If this post helps you explore what happens within an act of worship then please read on…
Your Weekly Church Notices
Scripture
Ephesians 5: 6 – 14
John 9: 13 – 27
Praise – Lord you have come to the seashore
Prayers
We draw near to a loving God, who meets us not as we imagine we should be, but as we are. We draw near to God who calls us from shadow into light, and from certainty into a place of wonder and mystery. We draw near to God asking that our eyes may be opened, and our seeing shaped by grace.
Loving God, You are the source of life and light. You are the One who knows us fully and holds us gently. You guide us like a shepherd who does not rush, who walks with us through every valley, and leads us toward places of rest and renewal.
Lord God, we thank You that You see beyond appearances and call out the goodness which You have planted within us. We praise You for your patience with us, for Your steady love, and for the hope You keep placing before us, even when we lose sight of it ourselves. And yet, when we pause in Your presence, we recognise how easily we fall short.
Lord of light and truth, we confess that we often prefer comfort to honesty, we love familiar stories rather than grace that challenge us. Forgive us when we fail to see our neighbour, or turn away from truths that unsettle us. Awaken us again.
Forgive us when we make quick judgments rather than listening carefully; when we cling to what feels safe instead of trusting where You are leading; when we overlook those on the edges or stay silent when love calls us to speak.
Open our eyes, gracious God. Help us to see one another as You see us — with compassion, dignity, and hope. Renew us by Your mercy, reshape us by Your love, and lead us forward in the light of Christ.
Receive now this offering we bring. We offer it in love for you our God and in service to Christ our Lord. We offer it in love for each other and love for neighbour. However humble we see it to be, we know Lord that you see the depth of our devotion within it, we give what we can, and receive your all.
Hear us as we join in the words of the Lord’s Prayer saying…
Our Father who art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.
Address
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” There are many saying of Jesus that we could quote or at least paraphrase but perhaps none more simple, straightforward and meaningful than the injunction to love one another. Doesn’t matter if it’s your friend, your neighbour, your enemy, your brother or sister, the stranger, the outcast. Loving one another changes the way we see each other and it changes the world. And that‘s a wonderful sentiment to hold on to.
But let’s change the list and see what happens. Love the terrorist, the paedophile, the murderer, the rapist, the sex offender; and all of a sudden, it’s not so straightforward. We have no trouble understanding that they too should be loved, we just don’t know how. Somehow the darkness and inhumanity of their actions seems to overwhelm the light of love. It takes something or someone special to love in that way.
Love like that was shown to us by Jesus when he willingly sacrificed his life for us out of love. And not just for us the easy-to-love people of this world; he loved the people who nailed him to the cross, he loved the religious leaders who plotted against him, he loved Judas who betrayed him. That kind of sacrificial love, love that can go on loving in all circumstances is the kind we associate with mothers – not absolutely all of them perhaps, but the vast majority of mothers (and fathers too of course) who put their children before everything.
It is this kind of love, the love we see in Jesus Christ, that is found in a Mother’s love and so we celebrate Mother’s Day. We have to be sensitive of course, because not everyone has experienced such love from their mother. It is always shocking when we hear of the abuse of a child at the hands of their mother. No matter how often we hear such dreadful stories it never becomes easier or more acceptable, we never become immune to that which is incomprehensible that a mother fails to love her child. It seems unnatural. A Mother is love. Just like God is love. Yet we shouldn’t allow these heart-breaking stories to deter us from celebrating Mother’s Day and the love of God we see, or have seen, in our mothers and fathers.
Fragmented as our society is today, it is not new to learn that human relationships are imperfect. Jesus heals a man born blind, healing him on the Sabbath Day. And that leaves the Pharisees in a quandary for either the Sabbath rules have been broken which is anathema to them OR the man was never actually blind. It is easier for the Pharisees to consider that the man was never blind. So, they ask the man’s parents about the circumstances of the healing and you are left with the impression that they rather disown their son. “Ask him yourself”, they say. He is old enough to speak for himself. They value their place in society or fear the Pharisees more than they value their son’s integrity. This is plainly not their most loving moment.
“Love one another.” This was almost the last advice Jesus gave to his disciples, a special blessing before he is arrested, tried and crucified. More than anything else, what he wants for them, is that they will love and be loved. It is of course Love that makes the world go round. There is nothing more important or precious. Without it, many a little child has gone wrong and with it anything can be achieved. “Without love I am nothing.” says Paul. “Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud… love never gives up.” Paul too was very good at giving his Churches advice and above all else he urges them to love in the same way that Christ loves them.
But that is Paul’s story. He shared his experiences of Christ love with those who also wanted to experience Christ’s love. His story, his experiences encouraged others; and that is good but his story is not our story. We can’t just keep on saying what Paul did or said 2000 years ago and expect that the world will be impressed. We have to tell our story, share our experiences of Christ’s love, live it out in our families, in our places of work and in our leisure time. Our story, our experiences are every bit as valid as the Apostle Paul’s, every bit as wonderful and meaningful as that experienced by the 12 disciples.
If you know a mother’s love then you have an insight into God’s love. Cherish it. Share it.
Praise – The Lord’s my shepherd
Prayers for Others
God of compassion and truth, You gather Your people as a parent gathers their children, holding us with tenderness and strength. On this Sunday in Lent, when light breaks gently into our journey, we pray for our world, our communities, and all who long for Your healing presence.
We pray for those whose voices are dismissed, whose stories are doubted, whose lives are shaped by exclusion or fear. Bring light where there is injustice, courage where there is silence, hope where there is weariness.
We remember all who feel unseen — those sidelined by poverty, prejudice, or circumstance; those living with illness, disability, or unrelenting pain; those whose struggles are hidden behind closed doors or carried quietly in the heart. May Your light reveal the truth of their dignity and surround them with care that restores. Lord hear our prayers…
We pray for families of every shape and kind, for those who rejoice today and those who find Mother’s Day difficult — those who have lost mothers or children, those who long for relationships that never came to be, those whose homes have not been places of nurture or safety. Gather each one into Your compassion, and help Your Church to be a community where all can belong, all can be honoured, and all be safely held. Lord hear our prayers…
We pray for Your Church — for all seeking clarity, courage, and renewed sight. Where we have been slow to recognise the movement of Your Spirit, open our eyes; where we have feared the cost of honesty, give us boldness; where our love has grown weary, rekindle Your light within us. Lord hear our prayers…
Loving God, as we continue to walk the pathway to Easter, may Your transforming light guide our steps and may Your steadfast mercy sustain us, that we may reflect Your grace in all we pray, all we say, all we hope, and all we do. Amen.
Praise – For Everyone Born
The Grace
And now… May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and all whom you love, now and for evermore. AMEN.