Lent 1 St. Paul’s Church, Charlottetown, PEI February 22, 2026, 10:00 am

Lent 1
St. Paul’s Church, Charlottetown, PEI
February 22, 2026, 10:00 am
 
Preludes: Lord, Have Mercy J.S. Bach; Prelude on ’Tallis’s Ordinal’ Christopher Tambling
 
67 God of All Time, All Seasons of Our Living
 
The Gathering of the Community
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
 
Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.
His mercy endures for ever.
 
Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
The Word of God: 1 John 1.8–9
A reading from The First Letter of John.
 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
 
Confession and Absolution
Dear friends in Christ,
God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy;
he welcomes sinners
and invites them to his table.
Let us confess our sins,
confident in God’s forgiveness.
 
Silence is kept.
 
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
 
Almighty God have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
614 Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive (vs. 1)

The Collect of the Day
Let us pray,
Almighty God, whose Son fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are but did not sin, give us grace to discipline ourselves in submission to your Spirit, that as you know our weakness, so we may know your power to save; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
The Proclamation of the Word
First Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' "But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
For the Word of God in scripture, among us and with us.
Thanks be to God.
 
PSALM 32
Refrain: You surround me with shouts of deliverance, O Lord.
Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sin is put away! Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, and in whose spirit there is no guile! R While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, because of my groaning all day long. For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer. R Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not conceal my guilt. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord." Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin. R Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them. You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. R "I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; who must be fitted with bit and bridle, or else they will not stay near you." R Great are the tribulations of the wicked; but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord. Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; shout for joy, all who are true of heart. R
 
170 The Glory of These Forty Days
 
The Holy Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards 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 splendour; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 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.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Sermon
 
Anthem: Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley/Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen
 
Prayers of the People – Lent
With confidence and trust let us pray to the Lord, saying, “hear our prayer.”
 
For the one holy catholic and apostolic Church throughout the world, for all the clergy and people, that by self-examination we acknowledge the need for greater courage to give more of our selves to your will in the world, as it is in heaven. God of love.
hear our prayer.
For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness we may preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, and that in repentance we may come to know the need for us to be a people of love and justice. God of love.
hear our prayer.
For this Parish, that you will guide us in today’s annual meeting, that all that we say and all that we decide will be in accordance of your will, that your Holy Spirit will continue to guide us as we show the transforming love and justice you call the world to. God of love.
hear our prayer.
For peace in the world, that a spirit of respect and reconciliation may grow among nations and peoples, that through fasting and self-sacrifice we can achieve an end to violence and war. God of love.
hear our prayer.
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all in danger; that they may be relieved and protected, that by the giving of our treasure our church and associated aid agencies will be empowered with the resources needed to make a difference. God of love.
hear our prayer.
For those who are ill at home or in hospital: especially those known to us…
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And others we may name out loud or in our hearts…
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… that in our prayer we trust that you will deliver them and keep them in your love. God of love.
hear our prayer.
For all those who have died in the peace of Christ, and for those whose faith is known to you alone, that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom, especially,
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… and be a comfort to those who mourn. God of love.
hear our prayer.
For the just and proper use of your creation; that by reading and meditating on your word we will strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth. God of love.
hear our prayer.
God our Father, in your love and goodness you have taught us to come close to you in penitence with prayer, fasting and generosity; accept our Lenten discipline, and when we fall by our weakness, raise us up by your unfailing mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
 
Announcements
 
SNC 85 God of the Bible
 
The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
Prayer Over the Gifts
Let us pray,
God our refuge and our strength, receive all we offer you this day, and through the death and resurrection of your Son transform us to his likeness. We ask this in his name. Amen.
 
Eucharistic Prayer 3
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
 
Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth, because you bid your faithful people to cleanse their hearts and to prepare with joy for the paschal feast; that reborn through the waters of baptism and renewed in the eucharistic mystery, we may be more fervent in prayer and more generous in the works of love.
 
Therefore we raise our voices to you in praise to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
 
We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son.
 
For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
 
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
 
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
 
Therefore, Father, according to his command,
we remember his death,
we proclaim his resurrection,
we await his coming in glory;
and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
 
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 
In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation;
 
by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
 
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
 
Breaking of the Bread - 7 Lent and Holy Week
We break this bread,
Communion in Christ’s body once broken.
Let your Church be the wheat
which bears its fruit in dying.
If we have died with him,
we shall live with him;
if we hold firm,
we shall reign with him.
 
Giving of Communion
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
 
Lamb of God
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
grant us your peace.
 
Hymns-during-communion
SNC 32 When at This Table
PB 227 Such Love
 
The Sending Forth of the Community
PB 227 Such Love
 
Prayer after Communion
All your works praise you, O Lord.
And your faithful servants bless you.
 
Gracious God we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. May we, who share his body, live his risen life; we, who drink his cup, bring life to others; we, whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us, so that we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Blessing (Lent)
May the God of mercy transform you by his grace,
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
 
352 Amazing Grace
 
Dismissal
Go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.