First Presbyterian Church of Weedsport
April 26, 2026
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Rev. Brian Copeland
CHIMES (Preparing yourself for worship.)
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Liturgist
PRELUDE
OPENING SENTENCES (Responsive) Liturgist
We have been through much, but the Lord has been with us, and so we find peace and give thanks.
The Lord is our shepherd; we have everything we need.
Through shadow and light, through death and birth, through grief and joy, we have never been alone. We rest in that truth.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
HYMN #473 For the Beauty of the Earth
CONFESSION AND PARDON (Responsive) Liturgist
Christ is the good shepherd, who leads us to safety and peace no matter what we have done. Christ’s voice calls us to repent and return; let us heed that voice and go to God in prayer.
God of community, you call us to a world radically different from what we are used to.
You ask us to lay aside our ideas of “mine” and “yours.” You show us a life where goods are shared, where all are loved, and faithfulness is shown through generosity. But we cling to our possessions, trusting them more than we trust you. Forgive us, merciful God. Help us to truly believe in your just and peaceful realm and to work to make it so.
SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION MAY BE OFFERED
Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed.
For we were going astray like sheep, but now we have returned to the shepherd and guardian of our souls. Thanks be to God!
SPECIAL MUSIC
CHILDREN’S TIME (If children are present. Children may leave to go to Sunday School after Children’s Time.)
PRAYER FOR ILLUMIINATION (Unison) Liturgist
Living God, with joy we celebrate the presence of your risen Word. Enliven our hearts by your Holy Spirit so that we may proclaim the good news of eternal and abundant life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 65:5-13 Liturgist
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty, your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow; the hills gird themselves with joy;
13 The meadows clothe themselves with flocks; the valleys deck themselves with grain;
they shout and sing together for joy.
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 12:1-12 Rev. Brian Copeland
Then he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went away. 2 When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. 5 Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture: ‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[a]
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?”
12 When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON Rev. Brian Copeland
HYMN: God is Calling Through the Whisper (Insert)
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Unison) Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.22
New life in Christ takes shape in a community in which people know that God loves and accepts them in spite of what they are. They therefore accept themselves and love others, knowing that no one has any ground on which to stand, except God’s grace.
JOYS AND CONCERNS
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
We offer our prayers through Christ, who lives and reigns forever, and prays for us in heaven. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING (Offering plates are not passed. Offering plates are on the front and back tables.)
PRAYER OF DEDICATION (Unison)
Great God, to you we give our thanks; your steadfast love endures forever. With gratitude we bring our gifts to you. Bless us and our gifts, that our lives and our resources may be a source of healing and hope, of joy and justice in our world. Amen.
HYMN #553 For the Fruit of All Creation
BLESSING AND CHARGE
POSTLUDE
**LARGE PRINT BULLETINS ARE AVAILABLE. PLEASE ASK THE GREETER.
Reminders:
May 15 – Doug’s to Go to benefit WFPC
May 18 – Our turn to volunteer at the food pantry (off schedule because of Memorial Day.)
June 22 – Doug’s to Go to benefit Weedsport Fire Department Auxiliary
