FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT February 22, 2026

Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church

Wisconsin Synod

Pastor Rev. Christopher Oehlke Pastor’s Phone: 1-262-909-7827

Organist Karen Davis, Mindy Kane, Church Telephone 763-682-4573

Lorraine Roush Email pastor@myimmanuel.org

WELCOME, VISITORS:     We are glad you could be with us and we welcome you back any time. Please sign our “Welcome” card found in the pew holders or sign the guest book in the narthex/entry.

Prayer upon Entering Church

Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. In the multitude of your tender mercies prepare my heart that I may enter your house to worship and confess your holy name; through Jesus Christ, my God and Lord. Amen.

SERVICE OF THE WORD

Beginning on Page 38 in the Hymnal.

HYMN (#455) “Rise! To Arms! With Prayer Employ You”

M: The grace of our Lord (+) Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

CONFESSION OF SINS

M: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. 

In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: Have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

M: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

M: Let us pray: Mighty God and Father, our Lord Jesus walked into the wilderness to face the devil’s temptations, but he did not succumb to Satan’s lies or falter in his resolve to save the world from the prison of hell. Bolster our faith by his mighty victory that we may battle against the forces of evil with courage and confidence; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C:     (Sung) Amen.

THE WORD

FIRST LESSON Genesis 3:1-15

3 Now the serpent was more clever than any wild animal which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, ³ but not from the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it. You shall not touch it, or else you will die.’”

⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die. ⁵ In fact, God knows that the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was appealing to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate. She gave some also to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ The eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for their waists. ⁸ They heard the voice of the Lord God, who was walking around in the garden during the cooler part of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.”

¹¹ God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”

¹² The man said, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³ The Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this,
you are cursed more than all the livestock, and more than every wild animal. You shall crawl on your belly, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. ¹⁵ I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel.                (EHV)

M: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.              

PSALM OF THE DAY (Sung) Psalm  46 (page 84)

SECOND LESSON Romans 5:12-19

¹² So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, so also death spread to all people because all sinned. ¹³ For even before the law was given, sin was in the world. Now, sin is not charged to one’s account if there is no law, ¹⁴ and yet death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those whose sin was not like the transgression of Adam, who is a pattern of the one who was to come. ¹⁵ But the gracious gift is not like Adam’s trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of this one man, it is even more certain that God’s grace, and the gift given by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ, overflowed to the many! ¹⁶ And the gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin, for the judgment that followed the one trespass resulted in a verdict of condemnation, but the gracious gift that followed many trespasses resulted in a verdict of justification.

¹⁷ Indeed, if by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through the one man, it is even more certain that those who receive the overflowing grace of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ! ¹⁸ So then, just as one trespass led to a verdict of condemnation for all people, so also one righteous verdict led to life-giving justification for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of one man the many became sinners, so also through the obedience of one man the many will become righteous.         (EHV)

M: The Word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God.

VERSE OF THE DAY

M: We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses; we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  (Matthew 5:16)

GOSPEL Matthew 4:1-11

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. ² After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The Tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”

⁴ But Jesus answered, “It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”

⁵ Then the Devil took him into the holy city. He placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you. And they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written: You shall not test the Lord your God.”

⁸ Again the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:

Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

¹¹ Then the Devil left him, and just then angels came and served him.                    (EHV)

M: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: (Sung) Praise be to you, O Christ!

HYMN OF THE DAY (#201) “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”

SERMON TEXT Matthew 4:1-11

SERMON THEME “Tempted”

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, 

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into 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 Christian Church, 

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

THANKSGIVING

OFFERING – Please leave offering in the plate as you depart.

HYMN (#431) “I Walk in Danger All the Way”

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For faith to follow our Lord Jesus and resist temptation, that we would come through this fallen world to dwell with Him forever, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. 

For a faithful proclamation of truth, that God would embolden pastors to warn of sin and death and give all Christians strength to defend that message; and that sinners would be turned to life through the proclamation of Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For all catechumens and their teachers, all children and their parents, and every Christian home, that God would preserve us from the assaults of the evil one and, as Christ overcame Satan in the desert by the Word of God, give us the victory through Him and His Word, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For those with worldly authority, that they would resist the allure of power and would worship God alone, punish evil and praise those who do good, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

For those troubled in mind or body, the dying and those who grieve, 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.

In gratefulness for God’s good creation and His gifts, that we may be good stewards of all that He has given and be preserved from trusting in our possessions more than in Christ, let us pray to the Lord: 

Lord, have mercy.

Lord God, heavenly Father, You have given us a refuge from the world in the Body of Christ. Protect us from all evils of body and soul, that we would find rest in this life and eternal rest in Your heavenly embrace; 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.

LORD’S PRAYER

C: 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; 

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory 

forever and ever. Amen.

M: O Lord God, our heavenly Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep us strong in your grace and truth, protect and comfort us in all temptation, and bestow on us your 

saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: (Sung) Amen.

M: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and (+) give you peace. 

C: (Sung) Amen. Amen. Amen.

HYMN (#422) “Jesus, Lead Us On”

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT February 22, 2026

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​THE SCHEDULE   

Tues., Feb. 24 7:00 p.m., Choir

Wed., Feb. 25 6:30 p.m., Lenten Service

Thurs., Feb. 26 6:30 p.m., Catechism Class

Next Sunday, March 1, Greeters: Gutknecht Family

OUR FATHER’S BUSINESS

CONGREGATIONAL BOWLING: Fishers Youth Group is inviting the entire congregation to join them for some bowling fun for all ages, Sunday, Feb. 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Huikko’s Bowl-Buffalo. Even if you don’t bowl, join us to watch and cheer on your youth.

EASTER GARDEN: We will again offer an opportunity to help decorate the church for Easter. If you would like to purchase a plant (or two), there are sign-up sheets on the island counter in the narthex. For $11 each, a plant will be placed “In Memory/Honor of” on a bulletin insert (and then after Easter, the plant will be yours to take). While we can’t be specific, there will be a variety of Easter Lily, Asiatic Lily, hyacinth, daffodil and tulip plants.

SALEM FELLOWSHIP FUND-RAISER: Tickets are available to Huikko’s Fish Fry at the Bison Creek Event Center on March 13 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. supporting the Salem Lutheran School’s 7^th and 8^th graders on their biennial Washington DC trip (2028). Tickets are $15-adult / $10-child (10 and under). The students also will manage a bake sale at the dinner for dessert treats. Please see Liam or Greg Kleist after Sunday services to purchase tickets.

THRIVENT CHOICE DOLLARS: The Thrivent Choice program provides Thrivent members an opportunity to support charitable activities such as Immanuel. Choice Dollars must be directed by March 31. Last year Choice Dollars totaled $1,841. If you have any questions, contact your Thrivent representative or Julie Gutknecht.

PASSOVER SPECIAL EVENT: Behold the Lamb of God: Christ in the Passover. Begin your Holy Week with Redeeming Grace-Rogers as we journey through the past to uncover all the rich foreshadows of Christ in the ancient festival of Passover! This family-friendly program begins at 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 29th. Along with the program, you will be enjoying an elegant meal, featuring lamb as the main course (turkey may be substituted) and wine (grape juice will also be available). A free will offering will be collected following the meal. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy an interactive, educational, and Christ-centered experience as we look forward to the real Passover on Easter Sunday. Please RSVP to Pastor or to rglc.org.  

MEDITATIONS entitled “Great Gain” have arrived with daily devotions for March 1 through May 30. Large print editions are also available. Feel free to take additional copies of either version to share. A free-will offering would be gratefully accepted to help defray the costs.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: Please review the “Greeter Schedule” and the “Visiting Shut-Ins Schedule.” Revise where you feel appropriate and volunteer as you are able and feel called to do.

LENTEN SERVICES:  Wednesday evening, Feb 25^th with the theme “It is Finished…The Holy Week Prophecies of Zechariah.” 

Please NOTE – Lenten Services will be at 6:30 p.m. this year.

ATTENDANCE AT THE LORD’S HOUSE:  Sunday, Feb. 15 63