February 22, 2026
First Sunday in Lent
February 22, 206 Livestream Worship Online Bulletin
Gathering
Chiming of the Trinity
Prelude
Shall We Gather at the River arr. Ron Mallory
Handbell Choir
Welcome
Call to Worship
We come into this season aware of our limits.
We come carrying questions, hunger, and doubt.
The wilderness is not empty—
God meets us there.
Here, we are named beloved
before we are asked to be strong.
Come, let us worship
the God who walks with us through every wilderness.
Hymn
O God, Our Help in Ages Past UMH#117
Reading from the Old Testament
Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7
Psalm of Response
Psalm 32 UMH p.766
Reading from the Gospels
Matthew 4:1–11
Sermon
Beloved in the Wilderness
Joys and Concerns and Prayers of the People with The Lord’s Prayer for Lent
Our Creator,
holy and close at hand,
your love is the ground beneath us
and the breath within us.
May your reign of justice and mercy take root,
here on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today what we truly need—
bread for our bodies,
grace for our souls,
and courage for the journey.
Release us from what binds us,
as we learn to release one another.
Do not leave us alone in times of trial,
but lead us toward life.
For yours is the love that sustains us,
the power that renews us,
and the hope that will not let us go.
Amen.
Blessing of the Tithes and Offerings
Make a Gift of a Tithe or Offering
Doxology UMH#95
Hymn
Grace Greater than Our Sin UMH#365
Please sing stanzas 1 and 4
Blessing and Sharing of Christ’s Light
Postlude
Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley arr. Thomas Keesecker
Announcements
Ann Clarck
Today’s worship participants
Our Pastor: Rev. Kelly Dotson
Music Director: Dr. Joel Reed
Worship Arts Associate: Patty Higgins
Make a Gift | Your Tithes & Offerings
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Mars Hill United Methodist Church
PO Box 427
Mars Hill, NC 28754
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