SAINT MICHAEL and
All Angels Episcopal Church
The First Sunday in Lent February 22, 2026
9 AM TRADITIONAL Church
WELCOME
FROM THE RECTOR
The Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata
We’re so glad you’ve joined us at Saint Michael today. We’d love to get to know you better, so please take a moment to fill out the welcome card, either physically or digitally, that can be found on this page or in the pew back in front of you. Our Welcome Team members are in the hallways today to help you with anything you need.
Lent has begun! Lent serves as a poignant reminder of God’s love and grace, allowing individuals to be honest and true in the absence of judgment, and fostering a community of openness and authenticity. During Lent, we will offer a new season of Weekday Meditations from the Saint Michael clergy, as well as Lenten Devotionals through A Word for Thought each day to support your growth.
Today, the Rev. Dr. Andrew Grosso and I will lead a special two-week adult class during the 10 a.m. hour titled “Striving for Justice, Peace, and Dignity.” In an age of polarization and division, the church has a unique opportunity to bear witness to what it means to live into the Baptismal covenant and be a community of reconciliation. The two of us will strive to show how the gift of Christ supports us as we seek to love our neighbors.
Please pick up a Sunday News handout if you haven’t already and join us for our special programming whenever you can. As we prepare to worship together, I invite you to take a moment and center yourself on God’s presence. Worshiping, learning, and giving together help us grow closer to who God created us to be, and you’re part of that work. May God bless you today and every day, and I hope to see you again very soon!
CONNECT WITH US
Scan the QR Code to fill out the welcome card, sign up for emails, and register for Saint Michael 101.
saintmichael.org/welcome
The First Sunday in Lent
Holy Eucharist: Rite II
The service begins on page 148 of The Book of Common Prayer. Hymns may be found in the blue hymnal in the pew rack.
The Word of God
Prelude
Herzlich tut mich verlangen
S. Andrew Lloyd Welcome
The Great Litany (kneeling)
BCP 148
“Herzlich tut mich verlangen” (My Heart is Ever Yearning) was written in memory of Douglas E. Bush, professor of organ at Brigham Young University, who passed away after a struggle with cancer. The piece juxtaposes the passion chorale with figuration and thematic material that reflect the living water that comes through Jesus Christ. The work was heavily inspired by John 4:14: “but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Children ages three through eight are invited to meet a member of our ministry staff by the pulpit to be escorted to children’s chapel; they will return to the congregation following the Peace.
Kyrie (standing, sung by all)
“Lord, have
mercy”
The Collect of the Day (standing)
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you. Celebrant Let us pray.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lesson (seated) Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” … Now the serpent was
more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’” The woman said to the serpent, “ We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘ You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Lector The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
The Psalm (seated)
Psalm 32:1-2, 5-7, 12
Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, * and whose sin is put away!
Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, * and in whose spirit there is no guile!
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, * and did not conceal my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” * Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.
Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; * when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; * shout for joy, all who are true of heart.
Chanted by the Choir
Parish Prayers of the People as of February 11, 2026
James Albergo
John Aldridge
Susanna Allen
Roland Anderson
Larry Andros
Rami Angir
Linda & Greg Austin
Don Baty
Larry Been
Barbara Hart Bell
Shirley Blackman
Len Bourland
Elise Broer
Helen Bustamante
Jenie Wissink Calvin
Cosette “Coco” Cathey
Carolyn Cochran
Jean Coleman
Christian Davis
Bill Douglass
LaWanda Duggan
Rashad Friendly
Jean Fuller
Gerald Gaston,Jr.
Curtis Green
Forest Germany
Jody Guenther
Roberto Hernandez
Josh Hight
Barbara Hornback
Jack Hubbell
Micah Jones
Julie Kenrick
Lynne Kent
John Khoury
Trina Lake
Danny Landeros
John Levens
Rusty Lawley
Tom Luce
Leigh Ann McCartin
Celia Smith McGrath
Sequence Hymn (standing, sung by all)
“Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us” after Attende Domine
To you, Redeemer, Lord of grace, We lift our eyes and seek your face. Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, For we have sinned against you.
The Gospel (standing) Matthew 4:1-11
Deacon The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
After Jesus was baptized, he was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy cit y and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will g ive you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Deacon The Gospel of the Lord. People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon (seated) The Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata
The Nicene Creed (standing)
All We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and
Sarah Margaret Mannes
Dimitri Margetis
Wilbur Marshall
Thomas Martin
Michael Matamoras
Janie Meyer
Tink Moir
John Morelock
Heather Nemec
John Oncken
Leslie Parker
Jim Riggert
Celso Rocha
Hank Showalter
Brad Smith
Carlos Smith
Chandler Wade Smith
Dianne Smith
Fadey Suleiman
Byrd Teague
Renee Torres
Travion Waites
Keller Webster
John Wieden
Ann Williams
Mary Wolf
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Sir John Goss was an English organist, composer, and teacher. Goss was a boy chorister of the Chapel Royal, London, and later a pupil of Thomas Attwood, organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral. After a brief period as a chorus member in an opera company, he was appointed organist of a chapel in south London, later moving to more prestigious organ posts at St. Luke’s Church, Chelsea, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. “O Saviour of the World” gets its text from the Collect for the Visitation of the Sick in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and was dedicated to Sir Joseph Barnby, another English composer.
apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Peace (standing)
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
Announcements (please be seated)
The Holy Communion
Offertory Anthem (sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
O Savior of the World
O Saviour of the world, Who by Thy Cross and precious Blood Hast redeemed us, Save us, and help us, We humbly beseech Thee, O Lord. Amen.
- 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Sir John Goss
Presentation Hymn (standing, sung by all) Hymn 380, v. 3
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow” Old 100th
The Great Thanksgiving: Eucharistic Prayer A (standing)
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give him thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to g ive thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name: Sanctus (standing, sung by all) Hymn S 130
“Holy, holy, holy”
Please kneel as you are able.
Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to e vil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: All Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other occasions as appointed.
At the following words concerning the bread, the Celebrant is to hold it, or lay a hand upon it; and at the words concerning the cup, to hold or place a hand upon the cup and any other vessel containing wine to be consecrated.
All baptized persons of any age regardless of their denomination and tradition are welcome to share in the banquet of the Lord’s Supper.
All are invited to come forward to the Communion rail at the direction of our ushers. Stand or kneel at the rail as you are able, and receive the wafer in the palm of your outstretched hands. If you desire a gluten-free wafer, clasp your hands in front of you with your palms down. Receive the wine by drinking from the chalice as it is offered to you, or by retaining the wafer, to dip lightly into the chalice for yourself. If you are not receiving, you may cross your arms over your chest and receive a blessing. If you are unable to physically come to the rail, please indicate to an usher that you would like to receive Communion at your seat.
The Celebrant breaks the bread in silence.
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.
Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and g lory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
All 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, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread (kneeling, sung by all) Hymn S 164
“Jesus, Lamb of God”
Celebrant The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
Communion Hymn (sung by all) Hymn 146
“Now let us all with one accord” Ex more docti mystico
Communion Anthem (sung by the Saint Michael Choristers & Choir)
Do Not Be Afraid
Philip Stopford
Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine.
When you walk through the waters, I’ll be with you; You will never sink beneath the waves. When the fire is burning all around you, You will never be consumed by the flames.
Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine.
When the fear of loneliness is looming, Then remember I am at your side. When you dwell in the exile of a stranger, Remember you are precious in my eyes.
Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine.
You are mine, O my child, I am your Father, and I love you with a perfect love.
Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine.
- Psalm 139
Philip Stopford (b. 1977) is an English organist and composer whose musical career began as a chorister at Westminster Abbey. He studied at the University of Oxford, where he also served as organ scholar at Keble College. Subsequent organ scholar positions included Truro Cathedral, and Canterbury Cathedral, before becoming Assistant Organist at Chester Cathedral. This lush, heartfelt anthem was commissioned by Andrew and Kathryn Radley on the occasion of the baptism of their daughter Sophia Elizabeth on October 24, 2010 at the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Uplyme, Devon, England.
Max Reger’s Op. 67 is a collection of 52 hymn settings composed between 1900 and 1902. The concept echoes Johann Sebastian Bach’s 46 chorale preludes in the Orgelbüchlein. Although intended to be technically simple, these works are musically complex, occasionally mirroring Bach’s style. Notice how Reger employs harmonic twists and dissonances to highlight the hymn’s dark text.
The Post-Communion Prayer (kneeling, spoken by all)
Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Blessing (kneeling)
The Dismissal (standing)
Deacon Let us bless the Lord. People Thanks be to God.
Departing Procession (standing, sung by all) Hymn 143
“ The glory of these forty days” Erhalt uns, Herr
Postlude
Chorale prelude on O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig, Op. 67/32
Max Reger
Streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE # M - 402151.
7:30 AM
Traditional
Saint Michael Chapel
9 AM Traditional Church
Joy! A Children’s Service
Saint Michael Chapel
10 AM
Education for All Ages
11 AM
Contemporary Church
Traditional
Saint Michael Chapel
5:30 PM
Traditional
Saint Michael Chapel
sunday at Saint Michael
EDUCATION CLASSES
Sundays | 10 a.m. | 2nd floor of the Education Wing
Please enter and exit the Education Wing from the south entrance on Colgate Ave.
Adults
Bible Series | Walking Through the Psalms
Room 203 | Led by the Rev. David Faulkner
Explore the Psalms’ place in Scripture, the instruction the hymns give us, and how to pray using the Psalms.
Faith & Practice | Striving for Justice, Peace, and Dignity
Room 201 | Led by the Rev. Dr. Chris Girata
In an age of polarization and division, the church has a unique opportunity to bear witness to what it means to live into the Baptismal covenant and be a community of reconciliation.
How to Raise Happy, Independent, and Confident Children
Room 212 | Led by Dr. Reggie McFarland
Join us to study how to raise happy, independent, and confident children when today’s world provides so many challenges.
Saint Michael 101 | Spotlight: Mission & Outreach
Room 200 | Led by George Baldwin, Tricia Stewart, and Zoé Hart
Those who are new to our church or interested in membership will learn about Saint Michael’s mission and purpose.
Youth
Middle School: 6th and 7th Grade | Youth Room A
Confirmation: 8th Grade | Youth Center
High School: 9th – 12th Grade | Youth Room B
Children
Godly Play: PreK – 1st Grade (Ages 3 – 7)
PreK (Room 213) | Kindergarten (Room 211) | 1st Grade (Room 208)
One Family of Faith: 2nd – 3rd Grade | Room 209
Launch 45: 4th – 5th Grade | Room 207
Nursery available in rooms 19 & 20 in school hallway. Enter through the Sunday Education Wing entrance. See map for details.