Sunday, February 22, 2026; Theme: How to Say NO!; Music Today: Roxanne St. Pierre

Trinity United: Called to Be the Church WELCOME A PRAYER FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Indigenous people lived here for thousands of years before settlers immigrated to this land that many call Turtle Island. Indigenous people, who knew nothing about the Bible, or scripture or the parables of Jesus… and still… they knew what it meant to welcome the stranger. A people who shared and offered what they could, only to be taken advantage of. We cannot undo wrongs done in the past, but we acknowledge that the Indigenous people were treated unjustly and we ask God to show us what we must do to work towards reconciliation. LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE (Kindly read the bold print) Holy One, On this Lenten Sunday, we light this candle, to remind us of the presence of Christ amongst us. May we be reminded that this same light illuminates the path to a deeper relationship with you. Amen. OPENING HYMN MV 12 Come and Touch Our Hearts (v. 1,2,3) CALL TO WORSHIP (kindly read the bold print) One: As we travel this Lenten pathway, we journey together, a community of faith. All: As we travel this Way of Jesus, we journey together, but also alone. One: Practicing our faith: All: living Christ’s call to love God with all that we are, to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. One: Practicing our faith: All: as stewards on the Way. OPENING PRAYER All: God of the hungry times, God of the difficult times, God of all the times of our lives, we need to talk. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand the direction we need to go. With all the choices we have in our lives, sometimes we’re not sure when to say “Yes,” or when to say “No.” So we ask for your guidance. We ask for wisdom. We ask for Spirit. In our worship, in our work, in our choices, in our lives. May it be so, loving God! Amen. QUIET REFLECTION TIME Lent begins in the wilderness. Not a place of punishment, but a place of truth. A place where distractions fall away, where hunger is felt, where choices become clear... ...He chooses faithfulness over control, trust over spectacle, love over domination. In the wilderness, Jesus shows us that being faithful is not about proving who we are, but about remembering whose we are. It is not about grabbing hold of power, but about remaining rooted in God. This is what it means to be the church. Not simply to gather, not simply to believe, but to live a way of faith that resists shortcuts and listens deeply for God’s voice. Silence The wilderness is not behind us. It meets us in our daily lives— in moments of uncertainty, in difficult decisions, in times when saying “yes” or “no” really matters. And yet, we do not enter these spaces alone. The same Spirit who led Jesus walks with us still. Strengthening us. Guiding us. Calling us again and again to live with integrity, compassion, and trust. May this season draw us deeper— deeper into honesty, deeper into faith, deeper into the call to be the church in the world. SCRIPTURE EXPLAINED SCRIPTURE Matthew 4:1-11 Reader’s Theatre READERS Nancy Jamieson, Robert Anderson SCRIPTURE RESPONSE Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church Thanks be to God. HYMN VU 660 How Firm a Foundation (v. 1, 2, 3) MINISTER’S REFLECTION OFFERING God of generosity, we pause and give thanks. For all we have received, and all we are still learning to share. Receive these gifts, given in trust, shape them for your purposes, and use them to bring life where it is needed. Amen. COMMUNION LITURGY COMMUNION HYMN VU 470 For the Bread Which You Have Broken INVITATION God is with you! And God is with us all. Open wide your hearts. We open them completely to the Spirit of God. May God’s love nurture your spirits each day. May God’s light sustain your souls each night PRAYER OF COMMUNION REMEMBERING JESUS AT TABLE PRAYER FOR TRANSFORMATION THE LORD’S PRAYER INVITATION TO SHARE THE BREAD AND CUP PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Divine Spirit, We give thanks to you for this time of remembering and sharing. We are grateful for this meal and its ability to fill us with the strength to continue our Lenten journey. Amen ANNOUNCEMENTS CLOSING HYMN VU 372 Though I May Speak BENEDICTION AND COMMISSIONING One: As we travel this Lenten pathway, we journey together, a community of faith. All: As we travel this Way of Jesus, we journey together, but also alone. One: Let us go into God’s world, practicing our faith, All: living Christ’s call to love God with all that we are, to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. One: Let us go into God’s world All: knowing we are never alone. Christ’s peace, the Creator’s love, and the breath of the Holy Spirit go with us. Amen! SUNG BLESSING Go Now in Peace PEACE OF CHRIST The peace of Christ be with you And also with you.