Revised Common Lectionary Readings for March 08, 2026

Revised Common Lectionary Readings (Three-Year Cycle)

Lectionary Readings for Sunday, March 8, 2026

First Reading Exodus 17:1-7 1From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” 4So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” Psalm Psalm 95 1   O come, let us sing to the LORD;           let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2   Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;           let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3   For the LORD is a great God,           and a great King above all gods. 4   In his hand are the depths of the earth;           the heights of the mountains are his also. 5   The sea is his, for he made it,           and the dry land, which his hands have formed. 6   O come, let us worship and bow down,           let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! 7   For he is our God,           and we are the people of his pasture,           and the sheep of his hand.      O that today you would listen to his voice! 8        Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,           as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9   when your ancestors tested me,           and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. 10  For forty years I loathed that generation           and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,           and they do not regard my ways.” 11  Therefore in my anger I swore,           “They shall not enter my rest.” Second Reading Romans 5:1-11 1Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Gospel John 4:5-42 5So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.6Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” 13Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’ 18for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” 19The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” 26Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” 27Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” 28Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” 30They left the city and were on their way to him. 31Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” 34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, March 9 and Sunday, March 15, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, March 9, 2026 - That businesses, unions and government officials would be ethical in all tax reporting and financial transactions.
• Tuesday, March 10, 2026 - That people find satisfaction is their work. 
• Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - That people are sensitive to the vulnerability of their neighbors.
• Thursday, March 12, 2026 - That loving families would be valued and protected by all authorities in this nation.
• Friday, March 13, 2026 - That people reflect the love and mercy of God in their daily lives.
• Saturday, March 14, 2026 - That the Body of Christ claims a renewed sense of unity.
• Sunday, March 15, 2026 - That we celebrate the gifts and talents that God has given us.

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, March 1, 2026

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service ...: During this season of Lent, we're moving through a sermon series entitled “Preparing for Easter.” In these five services, we're cons...

Sunday's Message - Preparing for Easter: Forgiving

Sligo Presbyterian Church: Our Congregation and Community: Sunday's Message - Preparing for Easter: Forgiving: During this season of Lent, we're moving through a sermon series entitled “Preparing for Easter.” In these five services, we're cons...

Looking into the lectionary - An update in the co-mod election

John 9:1-41 Fourth Sunday in Lent March 15, 2026 John reports only seven miracles in his gospel, though he never uses the word miracle. He calls them signs — events that point beyond themselves. A sign gives direction; it reveals who Jesus truly is. The sign in John 9:1–41 is a miracle of sight for the blind. When I read John 9, I notice Jesus doesn’t just heal the man’s eyes. He uses mud. Does he sculpt new eyes? This isn’t the first time human body parts have been formed from dust. In Genesis, God shapes humans from the “dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7). This sign in John reveals Jesus as Creator. Born with a disability in ancient times, this man — whom I will call “Daniel” — is doomed to a life of begging. There were many beggars along the roads, and society had grown desensitized to them. Notice how the disciples speak about “Daniel” as if he isn’t there, asking Jesus a theological question about him while he is standing before them. Jesus is never desensitized to suffering. Not content to debate, he restores “Daniel’s” sight. But the healing goes deeper. Jesus gives him eyes to see who he truly is and what God is doing in the world. The healing is not only physical but spiritual. Several “spiritual eye” healings emerge in this passage. When Jesus gives new eyes, we move from assigning blame to offering help. When problems arise — in church, family or society — our instinct is to blame. “Who sinned?” the disciples ask. “No one sinned,” Jesus replies, dismantling the assumption that suffering must be someone’s fault. The issue is not what Daniel or his parents did, but what we will do now. Not who is at fault, but who will act. There are so many people ready to assign blame and not enough people willing to help. Jesus takes it a step further. Not only is this problem not anyone’s fault, but it will help to reveal the glory of God.... Thank you to this week's writer, Tracey Davenport. Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for March 8, 2026? You can find them here. Order of worship — March 15, 2026 by Tracey Davenport Should churches respond to online outrage? by Trip Porch  When foster youth age out, one WV church shows up by John Bolt Two new candidates stand for co-moderator of GA227 by Mike Ferguson What can a vigil teach us about empathy? by Maggie Alsup Presbyterian politicians mix faith with their civic service by Gregg Brekke IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Faith leaders form rapid response network for migrants facing ICE detention in Dallas Multi-faith clergy in the Dallas–Fort Worth area are providing pastoral care, bearing witness, and organizing resistance as asylum seekers are detained during routine ICE check-ins. — Harriet Riley Discussion guide for February 2026 issue In each issue of the Outlook, we include a discussion guide to further reflect on the issue. We recommend using this guide in your Bible study, small group or book club. It's our invitation into a faithful conversation. — Don Griggs Dear Marty, We Crapped In Our Nest: Notes from the Edge of the World Alfred Walker reviews Art Cullen’s "Dear Marty, We Crapped In Our Nest," a sobering look at climate change, farming and red-state politics. Without weeping, there is no raising Empathy is the heart of our covenantal relationship with one another, proclaims Chris Henry. What we lose when confessions are treated as optional Keanu Heydari pens a response to Charles Wiley’s “Why the PC(USA)’s Book of Confessions is too long — and how to fix it.” Why Christian clergy see risk as part of their moral calling Clergy sometimes place themselves in harm’s way for moral and religious reasons. A scholar of religious ethics explains when – and why. — Laura E. Alexander A new four-session Fresh Outlook Bible Studies In a moment when empathy is often misunderstood — and sometimes dismissed as weakness — “On the Road to Empathy” invites churches to return to Scripture and rediscover empathy as a deeply Christian practice.

WCC News: As Russian invasion of Ukraine enters fifth year, churches across the world pray for peace

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its fifth year, churches across the world prayed for peace and called for justice.  An ecumenical prayer for peace in the Bern Cathedral, with participation of Bern churches and a chamber orchestra from Bakhmut, Ukraine. Photo: Christoph Knoch/EKS 27 February 2026 An ecumenical prayer for peace in the Bern Cathedral, with participation of Bern churches and a chamber orchestra from Bakhmut, Ukraine, became more than a commemoration. Those gathered described it as “lament, intercession, and hope all at once.” Bishop Felix Gmür opened the service as “a space for silence amidst the noise of weapons.” The Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe is leading a Lenten initiative, called the “Eucharistic Chain,” that involves praying for peace in Ukraine and the Holy Land throughout Lent. Each national Bishops’ Conference has committed to organising at least one Mass to pray for the victims of war and to invoke from the Lord an “unarmed and disarming peace” in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and throughout the whole world. The Ecumenical Patriarchate offered a liturgy with prayers for Ukraine’s war victims.  “With patriarchal solemnity, the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts was celebrated on Clean Tuesday at the Patriarchal Cathedral at the Phanar, on the occasion of the Feast of the Finding of the Precious Head of Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist,” reported the Ecumenical Patriarchate.  The service was presided over by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who offered prayers for the spiritual strengthening of the faithful as they enter the ascetic journey of Holy and Great Lent. At the conclusion of the Liturgy, a Trisagion service was offered for the repose of the souls of all victims of the war in Ukraine, marking four years since the Russian invasion of the country. An ecumenical prayer in the St Sofia Cathedral in Kyiv on 24 February gathered heads of Ukraine's churches and leaders of European countries, along with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine At the Western Wall in Jerusalem, people gathered to offer prayers for Ukraine and to unfurl a blue and yellow flag. The Ukrainian Embassy in Israel organized the initiative. Diplomats from the embassy, along with members of the community, Ukrainian Jews, and friends of Ukraine, unfurled a 30-meter Ukrainian flag. Over 150 participants attended the event.  An ecumenical prayer in the St Sofia Cathedral in Kyiv on 24 February gathered heads of Ukraine's churches and leaders of many European countries, along with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska. Together, they prayed for blessings and help for Ukrainian soldiers, for a dignified peace, for the release of prisoners, for each and every person who was forced to leave their home, for all Ukrainians, and for the unity and resilience of the Ukrainian people. On fourth anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine, WCC urges just, sustainable peace (WCC news release, 20 February 2026) Ukrainian churches hold National Day of Prayer for just peace (WCC news release, 24 February 2026) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

Prayers for Our Community, Our Nation and Our World

We can offer specific daily prayers for our community, nation and world. Between Monday, February 23 and Sunday, March 1, we'll lay before God the needs listed below.

• Monday, March 2, 2026 - That we unite to deal with the gun violence within our society.
• Tuesday, March 3, 2026 - That we remember those who died in service to their country.
• Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - That World Vision will be able to address real human needs around the world.
• Thursday, March 5, 2026 - That Russia and Ukraine find a peaceful resolution to their conflict.
• Friday, March 6, 2026 - That governments recognize that their nations will be judged based on how they treat the poor and the powerless.
• Saturday, March 7, 2026 - That children be protected from those who are not seeking their best interest.
• Sunday, March 8, 2026 - That peace will be restored in the Middle East.