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February 22, 2026
See TodayFirst Sunday in Lent
One-Year Lectionary
- First Reading
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Gen. 3:1–21 or 1 Sam. 17:40–51 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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Gen. 3:1–21
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
1 Sam. 17:40–51
40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands. 48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
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- Psalm
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Psalm 32 or Psalm 118:1–13 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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Psalm 32
A Psalm of David, Maschil.
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Psalm 118:1–13
1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
5 I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.
6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
7 The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
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- Epistle
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2 Cor. 6:1–10 or Heb. 4:14–16 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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2 Cor. 6:1–10
1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Heb. 4:14–16
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
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- Gospel
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Matt. 4:1–11 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
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First Sunday in Lent
One-Year Lectionary
About this service
Jesus Does Battle in Our Place
In the Garden, man exalts himself to be a god in place of God (Gen. 3:1–21). He succumbs to the temptation of the devil, and eating of the forbidden fruit, he receives death. But in the sin-cursed wilderness, God humbles Himself to become man in place of man (Mt. 4:1–11). He does not eat but fasts and bears the onslaughts of the devil for us that we may be restored to life. Jesus stands as David in our place to do battle against the Goliath, Satan (1 Samuel 17:40–51). Though outwardly Jesus appears weak, yet He comes in the name of the Lord of hosts. He draws from the five smooth stones of the books of Moses and slings the Word of God. The stone sinks into the forehead, and the enemy falls. In Christ we are victorious over the devil. Let us therefore not receive the grace of God in vain (2 Cor. 6:1–10), but seeing that we have a great High Priest, let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain help in time of need (Heb 4:14–16).
Source: LCMS Worship, Lectionary Summaries — One-Year Lectionary (opens in a new tab). Used by permission. These pages may be reproduced for congregational use only. Commercial reproduction, or reproduction for sale of this work or any portion of this work, without the written permission of the copyright holder, is prohibited. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Scripture quoted in the summary is from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Introit, Gradual and Verse
Source: LCMS One-Year Series Propers Chart (opens in a new tab). Citations only; no liturgical or Scripture text is reproduced.
Collect
Historical Collect — First Sunday in Lent (Invocavit)
O LORD, mercifully hear our prayer, and stretch forth the right hand of Thy Majesty to defend us from them that rise up against us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Source: Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (Baltimore, 1893), Introits and Collects for the Church Year (opens in a new tab). Public-domain text (published 1893), transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of the Princeton Theological Seminary Library copy.
Prayers of the Church
Prayers of the Church for February 22, 2026 — Responsive Form
Heavenly Father, You promised to overcome the devil by the Seed of the woman, Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Strengthen our faith in His victory, that we may endure every temptation and at last share in His eternal salvation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, Your Son trampled the serpent underfoot and freed us from sin and death by His own death on the cross. Protect and preserve all called to preach Christ and Him crucified. Command Your angels to guard them in all their ways and bear them up for the sake of Jesus. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, our first parents fell into sin, rebelled against You and despised one another. Inspire the families of Your Church to live in sacrificial love toward one another and in faith toward You, that they may receive Your temporal and eternal benediction. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, since we sojourn in the wilderness of this earth, look upon our desire for peace, and by Your mighty power defend us and our nation against all our enemies. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, though we deserve nothing of Your kindness, You have shown Yourself to be the strength of the weak, the healer of the sick and the hope of those who mourn. Hear us on behalf of those who are troubled in mind or body, the dying and those who grieve [especially _____________]. Sustain them through their afflictions and pain, heal them according to Your gracious will, and deliver them at the last to everlasting life in Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, though we are unworthy of a place at the table of our Lord, You have bid us to come and eat of His flesh and blood. Give us faith that we may come in repentance to receive this blessed food for everlasting life. Unite us in doctrine and holy living, that we may show forth this harmony in witness before the world. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, give us confidence in Christ our Mediator’s ceaseless intercessions, that in every time of need we also would draw near to Your throne of grace, call to You and await Your gracious answer. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord God, heavenly Father, see how the adversary continually afflicts us and walks about as a roaring lion seeking to devour us. We implore You for the sake of the suffering and death of Your Son, Jesus Christ, to help us by the grace of the Holy Spirit and strengthen our hearts by Your Word, that our enemy would not prevail over us, but instead that we may abide evermore in Your grace and be preserved to life everlasting; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Source: LCMS Worship, Prayers of the Church — One-Year 2025–2026 (opens in a new tab). Prepared by LCMS Worship for congregational use. Used by permission. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Prayers of the Church for February 22, 2026 — Ektene Form
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For strong faith in the victory of Christ, who has crushed the serpent’s head, that we may endure every temptation and finally share in His eternal salvation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For pastors, that God would command His angels concerning them to guard them in all their ways as they proclaim the One who trampled the serpent underfoot by His death on the cross, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the families of the Church, that we may live in sacrificial love toward one another and in faith toward God, and so receive His temporal and eternal benediction, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For peace, that as we sojourn in the wilderness of this earth, God would by His might defend us and our nation against all enemies, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those troubled in mind or body, the dying and those who grieve, [especially _____________,] that in their afflictions and pain the Lord would sustain and heal them according to His will and deliver them at last to everlasting life, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For faith as we partake of Christ’s body and blood at His Holy Supper, that we may come in repentance to receive this blessed food for everlasting life; and for unity in doctrine and holy living, that we may show forth this harmony in witness before the world, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For confidence in the ceaseless intercessions of Christ, our Savior and Mediator, that in every time of need we would also draw near in prayer to His throne of grace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
Lord God, heavenly Father, see how the adversary continually afflicts us and walks about as a roaring lion seeking to devour us. We implore You for the sake of the suffering and death of Your Son, Jesus Christ, to help us by the grace of the Holy Spirit and strengthen our hearts by Your Word, that our enemy would not prevail over us, but instead that we may abide evermore in Your grace and be preserved to life everlasting; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Source: LCMS Worship, Prayers of the Church — One-Year 2025–2026 (opens in a new tab). Prepared by LCMS Worship for congregational use. Used by permission. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Hymn of the Day
Hymn of the Day — A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (LSB 656 or 657)
Lutheran Service Book 656 or 657
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
The LCMS Hymn of the Day list appoints this hymn as the Hymn of the Day for First Sunday in Lent (One-Year), Reformation Day (One-Year and Series A, B and C) and Lent 1 (Series A, B and C). This record preserves the appointment identity only; it does not reproduce the Lutheran Service Book hymn text.
Source: LCMS Worship, Hymn of the Day — Arranged by Church Year, pp. 167, 171 (opens in a new tab). Appointment identity only. Lutheran Service Book text and LCMS study content are not reproduced.
Suggested hymns
- Entrance LSB 544 O Love, How Deep
- Distribution LSB 564 Christ Sits at God’s Right Hand
- Distribution LSB 419 Savior, When in Dust to Thee
- Distribution LSB 666 O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe
- Closing LSB 716 I Walk in Danger All the Way
Source: LCMS Worship, Hymn Suggestions — One-Year Lectionary Series 2025–26 (opens in a new tab). Hymn numbers and titles only; hymn texts are not reproduced. Reproduction for individual, church or school use does not require permission. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.