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THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT February 22, 2026 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto OUR OPENING HYMN: 773 “Hear Us, Father, When We Pray” (Please stand) CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION Page 184-185 THE INTROIT – Psalm 91:1-2, 9-10, 13; antiphon: Ps. 91:15a, c, 16 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” 1He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge — 10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. KYRIE (Lord Have Mercy) Lord have mercy upon us. Christ have mercy upon us. Lord have mercy upon us. Pastor: The Lord be with you. Congregation: And with thy Spirit. OUR COLLECT PRAYER – O Lord God, You led Your ancient people through the wilderness and brought them to the Promised Land. Guide the people of Your Church that following our Saviour we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. OUR BIBLE READINGS Old Testament: Genesis 3:1-21 Psalm 32 Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-16 Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:1-11 THE NICENE CREED Page 191 HYMN OF THE DAY: 656 “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” by Martin Luther https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igH38WLuyC0&list=RDigH38WLuyC0&start_radio=1 THE SERMON – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. On this First Sunday in Lent, we are taken through the words of Scripture into the wilderness. “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Lent begins not with our striving, but with Christ’s battle. Not with our victory, but with His. Immediately before this Gospel, our Lord stood in the waters of the Jordan. At His Baptism, He identified Himself with sinners. He passed through the water as Israel once passed through the Red Sea. The Father declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The only Son from heaven now goes into the wilderness. Not by accident, nor misfortune. But led by the Spirit. Just as Israel was led into the wilderness after passing through the sea, so Christ goes forth as the true Israel. Israel was tested for forty years. Christ fasts forty days. Israel grumbled for bread. Christ hungers. And when the tempter comes, Jesus answers with words from Deuteronomy: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Where Israel failed, Christ stands firm. But we must go back even further than Israel. Back to a garden. In Genesis Chapter 3, Adam and Eve stood, having been blessed by the Word and presence of God. The serpent questioned God’s promise. “Did God really say?” Adam and Eve failed the test. One trespass led to condemnation for all. The fruit was taken. The world fell. Sin, death, and the devil gained their dreadful foothold. But now in the wilderness stands the New Adam. Hungry. Weak in body. Yet strong in faith. The devil tempts Him as he tempted our first parents. “Turn stones into bread.” “Throw Yourself down.” “Bow to me, and I’ll give You all the kingdoms of the world.” At the heart of each temptation is the same lie: “Be something other than what the Father has called You to be.” Seek Your own glory. Doubt the Father’s care. Avoid the cross. Satan not only wanted to separate Jesus from the Father. He wanted to separate Him from His saving mission, from us. The devil wanted a Messiah without suffering. A Son without obedience. A kingdom without the cross. But Jesus chooses another path. As Saint Paul writes in Philippians, “Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” In the wilderness, that obedience begins to unfold publicly. Where Adam and Eve fell prey to temptation, Christ refuses. Where Adam listened to the serpent, Christ listened to His Father. Where Adam hid among the trees, Christ stands in the desert and confronts the enemy. And He does this not merely as an example. He does this as our Substitute. In his Church Postil sermon for this very Sunday, Martin Luther wrote that Christ “fought and overcame, not for Himself, but for us; so that His victory might be ours.” This isn’t works righteousness and moralism. It is Gospel. The Apostle Matthew s not a virtuous model for us to match, but Jesus as Victor over satan on behalf of all people. A Saviour to trust. As the Letter to the Hebrews declares, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” He stands in your place. He fulfills the Law in your stead. He resists where you and I have surrendered. And because He does, His obedience is counted as yours. As Saint Paul writes in Romans 5, “As by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” This is the great exchange. Adam’s failure brought condemnation. Christ’s righteousness brings justification and life. And so Psalm 32 sings, “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Covered by what? Covered by Christ’s obedience. By His victory. By His blood. The devil departs at the end of our Gospel, but only “until an opportune time.” He will return. He will tempt Jesus again to avoid the cross. Through Peter’s misguided words. Through the mockers at Golgotha who jeer, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” It is the same temptation. Prove Yourself. Save Yourself. Seek Your own glory. But our Lord does not come down. He stays, obeys, and dies. And in that death, He crushes the serpent’s head, as first promised in Genesis 3. The wilderness victory points forward to Calvary. There the true battle is won. Sin is atoned for. Death is defeated. The devil is disarmed. And Christians are set free. This is why Lent must never become a season of self-chosen righteousness. Luther warned sharply against turning fasting into a meritorious work. Fasting does not earn grace. Christ alone earns grace. If we fast, it is to discipline the flesh. If we pray, it is because we are needy. If we struggle, it is because the conflict continues. But we do not fight to win God’s favour. We devote ourselves to His victory. This Gospel also prepares us for our own wilderness. The Spirit who led Jesus into temptation leads the Church to repentance and faith. You will be tempted. The devil will whisper the same lies. “God is not providing.” “You must secure your own future.” “Compromise a little.” “Go along with the crowd.” “Seek your own glory.” In those moments, look to your Champion. Your Baptism joins you to Him who passed through the water and stood in the desert. The Father’s declaration over Christ now rests upon you: believers who are beloved in the Son. And when temptation rages, you are not alone. You have a merciful and faithful High Priest. You have His Word. Notice how Jesus fights. He doesn’t argue human philosophy. He doesn’t display heavenly power. He speaks Holy Scripture. “Man shall not live by bread alone.” “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” The Word is the sword. The promises of God are your refuge. So we pray as our Lord taught us: “Lead us not into temptation.” “And deliver us from evil.” We pray with confidence because our Deliverer has already overcome the evil one. Luther said that this text gives great comfort. If Christ, after forty days without bread, was sustained by His Father, then surely God is able to sustain believers, as He promised. If Christ defeated the devil in the wilderness, then temptation cannot ultimately harm those who cling to Him in faith. Dear brothers and sisters, Lent begins with realism. We are weak. We have failed the test. Like Adam and Eve, we have listened to the serpent’s voice. But Lent also begins with triumph. Christ has stood where we fell. He obeyed where we disobeyed. Christ has conquered in the place of the helpless captives. Your Champion has held the field. He won the victory we could not. And because He lives, you live. Because He resisted, you are declared righteous. Because He went all the way to the cross, you are forgiven. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. Not in fear, or despair. But in faith. For the One who was tempted in the wilderness is the same One who intercedes for you now. The beloved Son is your Saviour. The obedient Adam is your righteousness. The Victor in the desert is now the Crucified and Risen Lord. In Him, the battle is decided, the serpent is crushed. In Him, you are free. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. THE PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT Page 194 Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) Page 195 The Lord’s Prayer Page 196 Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) Page 198 Post-Communion Collect (Right-hand column) Page 201 OUR CLOSING HYMN: 659 “Lord of Our Life”