Worship and Devotions

First Sunday In Lent - Diaconal Sunday

February 22, 2026

Welcome visitors and old friends. Welcome regardless of belief, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender, socio-economic status, marital status, age, abilities, or life situation. Welcome believers and doubters as well as doubting believers. Welcome to share the fullness of Christ's love for the world! (Adapted from The welcome message from the Thomas Community in Finland. "Celebrating milestone moments" by Rev. Jukka Joensuu. Canada Lutheran January/February 2024 Vol. 39 No. 1; chorus of ELW 523)

Today's gospel tells of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. His forty-day fast becomes the basis of our Lenten pilgrimage. In the early church Lent was a time of intense preparation for those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. This catechetical focus on the meaning of faith is at the heart of our Lenten journey to the baptismal waters of Easter. Hungry for God’s mercy, we receive the bread of life to nourish us for the days ahead.

Diaconal Sunday - The call of Deacons is to stand between, in the liminal and fuzzy boundaries where church and world blur, coaxing folks out of stark categories and into real life where proclaiming the gospel and serving the neighbour are never separate. They are ordained for action that embodies God’s love on the margins and moves people toward purpose and love that do not require a crucifix, font or altar. Instead they show them how God lived in a body, wrapping a towel at your waist, stooping down to fill a basin with water, washing and drying your neighbour’s feet with such care, they are certain they’ve seen Jesus. (Adapted from Speak It Plain by Meta Herrick Carlson)

Music

The Glory Of These Forty Days

The Glory Of These Forty Days (Elw Accompaniment Edition) - Elw 320

Prayer of the Day

Lord God, our strength, the struggle between good and evil rages within and around us, and the devil and all the forces that defy you tempt us with empty promises. Keep us steadfast in your word, and when we fall, raise us again and restore us through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Readings

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12-19

Gospel - Matthew 4:1-11

Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus experiences anew the temptations that Israel faced in the wilderness. As the Son of God, he endures the testing of the evil one.

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Music

O Lord, Throughout These Forty Days

O Lord, Throughout These Forty Days - Elw 319

Sermon

Facing Today- Dreaming for the Future by Pastor Carol J. Dennison

Matthew 4:1-11

“Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” These words are spoken over each of us at our baptisms. (P. 231”Holy Baptism” Evangelical Lutheran Worship) Like the words Jesus heard after his baptism, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17), they begin a lifetime of living out what they mean. Today we are reminded of what that involves- learning to discern temptations and resist them, learning who we are and where God wants us to go, what God wants us to do, and trusting that God will provide us with all we need to do that and will be with us every step of the way.

The first three chapters of the gospel of Matthew make every effort to remind us that Jesus is at one and the same time truly a human being and also truly God. It begins with a genealogy, Jesus’ human one!, progresses to Joseph’s acceptance of Mary as his wife after God informs him the child is of the Holy Spirit, and telling us how Mary, Joseph and the baby flee to Egypt after the magi’s visit alerts Herod to the presence of a possible contender to his throne, and of their return to live in Nazareth in Galilee, a village far away from Jerusalem and its politics yet in the heart of an area where Gentiles abound, and in an area where there have been several rebellions violently put down by Rome. There Jesus grows up, is circumcised like every other Jewish male baby, brought up attending the synagogue including its school, learning about his faith and preparing for his bar mitzvah. He learns to live in his extended family circle, plays with the other boys, learns his father’s trade, and, as an adult, earns his living for many years.

Hearing of his cousin John’s coming out of the wilderness to the Jordan River area closer to Jerusalem, of the message he is proclaiming “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” and that he is baptizing those who repent, Jesus sets off to explore what God wants him to do now.

He is baptized by John, his identity as God’s Son confirmed and who he is as a person affirmed as being one with whom God is well pleased. Now he needs to determine what God wants him to do next. To assist him, the Holy Spirit leads him off into the wilderness, a place without the distractions of people, a place traditionally seen as a place of discernment. Here he is to be “tested” by the devil, the accuser.

The “test’ starts with a time of fasting and prayer, forty days and forty nights, that leaves him hungry! During this time, Jesus is able to look at his life, consider what his next possible steps might mean, not just for himself but for his mother - he is the eldest son- and the rest of his family. What will he have to give up? How will he make sure she is cared for? What is God actually asking him to do and be? It is only after this time that the devil begins to “test” him.

Okay, Jesus, IF you really are the Son of God, you can turn these stones into bread and feed not only yourself but all the other hungry people.

Jesus is not fooled. It is God who will provide not he: “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Deuteronomy 8:13)

Next the devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem and puts him on a pinnacle of the temple. IF you are God’s Son, jump off. After all God’s angels will make sure you don’t get hurt! The accuser even quotes Psalm 91:11-12!

Jesus is not fooled. To do this is to imply that he can control God and, as a human, that is NOT the case! “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”(Deuteronomy 6:16)

The accuser then takes Jesus to a very high mountain and shows him all the glories of the kingdoms of the world with their riches and power. “I’ll give you control over all this if you fall down and worship me!”

Jesus is fed up with the accuser’s lies. “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only [God].’ ” (Deuteronomy 6:13)

At this the devil takes off leaving Jesus alone in the desert. Yet suddenly he is not alone for the angels come and wait on him.

We are not told if Jesus returned to Nazareth, yet it is from there he leaves to move to Capernaum, and begin his ministry. Perhaps he took a while to put into place the actions he determined were needed during those forty days and nights. Then, he begins the life God has called him to lead at that time. During this life he will indeed feed the hungry, proclaim that the powerful- those in charge of the world’s political entities and those in positions within the religious hierarchy- do not have control over the world. God does! He, like John, calls on them all to repent and change their ways because God’s kindom is coming near! His reward is death on a cross. Yet that is not the end for God has other plans! Jesus rises from the dead, is seen by many and gives them the job of continuing the proclamation of repentance, forgiveness, love and mercy to the whole world! God even sends the Holy Spirit to live in and with believers to empower their service.

“The world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:- Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!” So wrote William Wordsworth. With every news broadcast, every social media comment, every newspaper, this is confirmed. Yet God has other plans.

God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, invites us to spend this time in Lent, examining our own lives. What values and practices, attitudes and behaviours in our lives need to be left behind? For what do we need to turn to God and ask forgiveness? How can we allow God to take us to that place where we admit we don’t know everything, that we don’t have to know everything, and that indeed we need to be emptied of much of what we think we know in order to be free to receive God’s words, wisdom, and the clarity of whose we are, who we are and what God is calling us to do?

We as a church, both this congregation, the B.C. Synod and the ELCIC, are in just such a wilderness time. Over the time between now and the next national convention, we are invited to consider where God is leading us. What do we need to give up? What do we need to keep? For what do we need to ask God’s forgiveness? How can we determine where God is leading us? The National Church calls this process “Facing Today- Dreaming for the Future”.

In a series of “Conversations across the Church” on zoom we are invited to reflect on our forty years as the ELCIC: where we have been, where we are today, and how God is calling us forward for the next forty years. This gathering will feature worship and reflections from three members of our National Church Council on where they see our church Living out God’s grace and unconditional love. We will also hear from three young adults from across the ELCIC as they share their stories of connection, hope and commitment, reflecting on their engagement in the church and what excites them about the future.

As we, like Jesus, enter this time of “testing”, may we take to heart this “Wilderness Blessing” by Jan Richardson.

Let us say

this blessing began

whole and complete

upon the page.

And then let us say

that one word loosed itself

and another followed it

in turn.

Let us say

this blessing started

to shed all

it did not need,

that line by line

it returned

to the ground

from which it came.

Let us say

this blessing is not

leaving you,

is not abandoning you

to the wild

that lies ahead,

but that it is loathe

to load you down

on this road where

you will need

to travel light.

Let us say

perhaps this blessing

became the path

beneath your feet,

the desert

that stretched before you,

the clear sight

that finally came.

Let us say

that when this blessing

at last came to its end,

all it left behind

was bread,

wine,

a fleeting flash

of wing.

(Lent 1: A Blessing for the Wilderness « The Painted Prayerbook)

Let us go out, accompanied by Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, to do the work God has called us to do to the glory of God’s Name and the furtherance of God’s kindom. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Reconciled by God’s mercy and sustained by God’s presence, let us pray for the world and its needs.

A brief silence.

God of grace, grant faith to your church. Give to all the baptized the will to resist temptation and to worship and serve you alone. Grant wisdom, courage, strength and patience to our leaders, lay and ordained. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

God of all creation, tend this earth. When human greed and disobedience threaten this planet and the life it contains, lead us by your Spirit into ways of reverence, awe, and gentleness. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

O God, through the ages you have called from among your people those who will carry out the ministry of word and service in the church. Let your blessing rest now on all who answer that call. Give them understanding of the gospel, sincerity of purpose, diligence in ministry, and the beauty of life in Christ, that many people will be served and your name be glorified. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

God of all nations, surround all living in places of violence with your steadfast love and give resilience to all who work for peace. Grant courage to those who challenge racism, systemic oppression, human trafficking and modern slavery. We pray for an end to violent conflict. Give wisdom to negotiators. Bring calm where there is fear, clarity where there is confusion, and restraint where there is anger or despair. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

God of all healing, mend our wounds. Bring wholeness to all who are sick, give peace to all who groan in grief, and send companions to all who are lonely or isolated. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

God of all people, provide for our community. For any among us who hunger for bread, bring nourishment. For any among us who hunger for truth, speak your life-giving word. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.

God of all life, bring us to you. We thank you for your free and abounding grace, and for those who, by that same grace, now rest eternally in you. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

Receive our prayers, O God, through Jesus Christ, our strength and salvation.

Amen.

Music

Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song

Go Now In Peace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQg2XqZcZjIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQg2XqZcZjI