Three-Year Lectionary
Study the appointed readings, prayers and resources for Series A, Series B and Series C through the Church Year.
March 1, 2026
See TodayLent 2
Three-Year Lectionary · Series A
- First Reading
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Gen. 12:1–9 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
KJV Scripture text
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1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
- Psalm
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Psalm 121 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
KJV Scripture text
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A Song of degrees.
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
- Epistle
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Rom. 4:1–8, 13–17 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
KJV Scripture text
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1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
- Gospel
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John 3:1–17 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
KJV Scripture text
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1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Lent 2
Three-Year Lectionary · Series A
About this service
The Word of the Gospel Opens the Eyes of Faith and Fixes Them on Christ Jesus
The Lord called Abram (Abraham) to leave his home and go to a land that God would show him. He also promised to make of Abram “a great nation,” to bless him and make his name great as a blessing to “all the families of the earth” (Gen. 12:2–3). “Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Gen. 12:4), and in Canaan “he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord” (Gen. 12:8). He “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). Here the grace of God is manifested, that He “justifies the ungodly” (Rom. 4:5), not by works of the Law, but through faith in His promises. He removes all of our sins and lawless deeds through Jesus Christ, the offspring of Abraham in whom all the Lord’s promises are realized. This forgiveness of sins is the Word of the Gospel, the voice of the Holy Spirit, which “gives life to the dead” (Rom. 4:17). It opens the eyes of faith to behold Christ Jesus, the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14–15).
Source: LCMS Worship, Lectionary Summaries — Three-Year Lectionary Series A (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
- Gradual (seasonal)
- Hebrews 12:2 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
Source: LCMS Three-Year Series (A) Propers Chart (opens in a new tab). Citations only; no liturgical or Scripture text is reproduced.
Prayers of the Church
Prayers of the Church for March 1, 2026 — Responsive Form
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
O God, You have graciously given us a new birth in the waters of Holy Baptism. Sustain our faith in You and turn us from the old things of the flesh, that we would fix our eyes on the Son of Man through faith. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Merciful Lord, Your Son, Jesus, came to teach us the way of truth. Sustain all pastors in this sacred calling. Give them patience to teach the faith to all who question the way of salvation, and raise up teachers of righteousness in every generation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, You made Your servant Abraham the father of us all through faith, and You have given all fathers the calling of Abraham to hand down the Gospel of Christ. Fill their hearts with the words of Christ, and remember them according to Your great mercy. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, You have established rulers and earthly authorities to protect us. Bless Donald, our president; _____________, our governor; the Congress of the United States; the legislature of this state; and all who make, administer and judge our laws. Help us to preserve our liberty and use its gift wisely in the pursuit of justice and for the welfare of all people. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Almighty God, You sent forth Your own Son to heal and give everlasting life. By Your Word and Spirit, lift up Your people from their sorrows. Heal them according to Your gracious will, and deliver them from the pain of death to eternal life. [Hear us, we pray, especially for _____________.] Sustain them in their afflictions, comfort them in the hour of death and raise up the dead according to Your gracious promise. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Righteous Lord, Nicodemus was led by the word of Jesus to the cross, and from the cross he received the body of Jesus. Grant us faith like his to trust Your Word and receive Christ’s body and blood in the Holy Sacrament for forgiveness, life and salvation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord, You gave Abraham the promise of many descendants. Give us faith, that we may delight in this promise, delivered through the ages and kept in Christ, our Savior. Equip us with Your Spirit to be bold and unwavering witnesses, carrying Your name and Your Gospel to every place and people. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
Source: LCMS Worship, Prayers of the Church — Series A 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 March 1, 2026 — Ektene Form
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For faith to fix our eyes on the Son of Man and to turn from the things of the flesh, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all pastors, that they would patiently teach the faith to all who question the way of salvation, in this and every generation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all fathers, who are given the calling to hand down the faith, that their hearts would be filled with the words of Christ; and that they would show forth His mercy, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For Donald, our president; _____________, our governor; the Congress of the United States; the legislature of this state; and all who make, administer and judge our laws, that we would preserve our liberty and use its gift wisely in the pursuit of justice and for the welfare of all people, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the people of God in their sorrows and sicknesses, [especially _____________,] that Christ would sustain them in their afflictions, comfort them in the hour of death and raise up the dead according to His gracious promise, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For faith to hear the word of Jesus; to trust in His death on the cross; and to receive His body and blood for forgiveness, life and salvation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For faith, that like Abraham we may delight in the Lord’s promise kept in Christ; and for the Holy Spirit, that we may witness to His name and carry His Gospel to every place and people, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
All these things and whatever else You know that we need, grant us, Father, for the sake of Him who died and rose again and now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
Source: LCMS Worship, Prayers of the Church — Series A 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
LSB 708 Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart
The LCMS Hymn of the Day list appoints this hymn as the Hymn of the Day for Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity (One-Year), Lent 2 (Series A, B and C) and Proper 21 (Series C).
Source: LCMS Worship, Hymn of the Day — Arranged by Church Year, pp. 167, 169, 170 (opens in a new tab). Appointment identity only. Lutheran Service Book text and LCMS study content are not reproduced.
Suggested hymns
- Entrance LSB 915 Today Your Mercy Calls Us
- Distribution LSB 429 We Sing the Praise of Him Who Died
- Distribution LSB 571 God Loved the World So That He Gave
- Closing LSB 702 My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Source: LCMS Worship, Hymn Suggestions — Three-Year Lectionary Series A 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.