First Sunday in Lent
February 22, 2026 | 10:00am
Kelly Koch MDiv, Guest Minister| Larry J. Carey, Director of Music
Thought for Worship
“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” Frederick Buechner
GATHERING
Welcome
Prelude I Need Thee Every Hour | arr. Lowry
Call to Worship
Votum
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Opening Statement
Where Adam chose disobedience, Christ chose obedience. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
We gather not because we are strong, but because Christ is faithful.
We come not trusting in ourselves, but trusting in the mercy of God.
Come, let us worship the Lord,
Let us worship the Lord who leads us through the wilderness and brings us into life.
*Hymn of Praise Jesus is a Rock in a Weary Land
Call to Confession
God calls us to walk in trust and obedience, yet we often follow the easier path. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, and in this Lenten season the Spirit leads us
into honest self-examination. Trusting in God’s mercy, let us confess our sin before God and one another.
Prayer of Confession
Holy and faithful God, you claim us as your beloved children, yet we forget who we are. We confess that we are tempted by comfort, power, and control. We shrink the gospel to fit our preferences. We trust the promises of the world more than your Word. We confess our complicity in injustice, our silence when truth is needed, and our desire to avoid the cost of discipleship. In honesty before you, O God, we name the ways we have sinned in thought, word, and deed — by what we have done and by what we have left undone. In humility, we bring our personal confessions before you now.
Assurance of Pardon
My friends in Christ, hear the good news. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19)
Our hope is not in our faithfulness, but in Christ’s faithfulness. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and free.
Thanks be to God.
The Law of God
And hear these words from our Lord Jesus Christ. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Upon these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.
*Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen.
*Commitment to Peace Keeping and Peace Seeking
One: May the peace of Christ be with you!
All: And also with you!
Share a sign of peace with one another. After sharing the peace, let us all sing together:
Together, by grace, we witness and work, remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong. Together we serve in Spirit and truth, remembering love is the strength of our song.
We Listen to God’s Word
Anthem Since By Man Came Death (Messiah) | Handel
Prayer for Illumination
Gracious God, in the wilderness your Son trusted your Word and walked in faithful obedience. By your Holy Spirit, quiet every competing voice within us and open our hearts to hear your truth. As the Scriptures are read and proclaimed, shape us into a people who trust you more deeply, follow Christ more faithfully, and live according to your will. Through Jesus Christ, the living Word. Amen.
Old Testament Reading Romans 5:12-19
*Hymn I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
Gospel Lesson Matthew 4:1-11
Sermon: “Who Are We Becoming as God’s Children?”
*Affirmation of Faith (Apostles’ Creed)
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Offering Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley | Johnson
Blessing on the Offering ...Your kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus 'name we pray, Amen.
Prayer of Dedication
*Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession (ending with the Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.
SENDING
*Hymn God of Grace and God of Glory
Benediction
Postlude God of Grace and God of Glory | arr. Hayes
DEAR FRIENDS
Welcome to worship here at Peapack Reformed Church! If you are visiting with us, welcome! If you are a member, welcome back! Our mission is to be a congregation called by God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world. This mission is the catalyst for all that we do, and is our aim for who we want to be.
If you are visiting with us via Facebook Live and would like more information about our church, send us a message on Facebook or email office@peapackreformed.org and we will be in touch with you. Even under these odd and anxious circumstances, we would love to be your church home. Our virtual doors are always open wide and our hearts are always ready to welcome new faces into our fellowship.
FOOD PANTRY NEWS
Many thanks for all those who have shared their abundance with neighbors in need.
Our church refrigerators have plenty of space to hold even more!
Please consider making a weekly donation of eggs or milk to the P-G Food Pantry.
Peapack Reformed Church is a congregation called by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and committed to being the very presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
CALLED • EMPOWERED • COMMITTED