Audio: Readings & Sermon for Sunday, February 22, 2026

Audio: Readings & Sermon for Sunday, February 22, 2026 + Adult Choir

Rev. Dr. Edward O. Grimenstein

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Old Testament Reading -- Genesis 3:1–21
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. 

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And 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 midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely 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 themselves loincloths. 

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 

The Lord God said to the serpent, 

“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” 

To the woman he said, 

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.” 

And to Adam he said, 

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you; 
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.” 

The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 

Epistle Reading -- Romans 5:12–19 
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 

But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For 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. 

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the fourth chapter
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And 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, 

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and 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 

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall 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 glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’” 

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. 

Adult Choir -- Vision of the Cross (8:00 a.m.)

Lectures - Christianity: Foundations and Futures

Lectures - Christianity: Foundations and Futures

The Rev. Dr. Trevor Sutton, LCMS Pastor, Author and Speaker, will give a series of presentations next week in Pittsburgh's university community in Oakland. One of the sponsors of the events is Lutheran Student Fellowship, based at our sister-congregation First Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oakland.

The Rev. Dr. Trevor Sutton, prolific author and in-demand speaker, will give a series of presentations the last week in February …

Monday, February 23rd
Baker Hall, A51 at CMU
"The Human Algorithm: The Image of God in an Age of AI;" 
at CMU; 5:30 food, 6:00 presentation, 7:00 Q&A)

Tuesday, Februar 24th
Heinz Chapel at Pitt
"Trustworthy or Tainted? The Bible in the Age of AI Deep Fakes and Distrust"
on the historicity and reliability of the Bible; at Pitt; 8:15-9:30pm

Wednesday, February 25th
First Trinity Lutheran Church, 533 Neville Street
All are welcome as Dr. Sutton discusses how we can dispel the falsehoods about
Christianity: "Clear Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits and Cons". 
This will be held at First Trinity at the normal weekly student LSF Bible Study and in conjunction with our Lenten Wednesday (6:00pm dinner; 7:00pm Evening Prayer, 8:00-9:00pm presentation/discussion)

CLICK: Complete Google Calendar of Events

CONTACT PASTOR ANDRAE IF ATTENDING OR WITH QUESTIONS
Contact the Rev. Eric R. Andræ at
LCMS Campus Ministry at First Trinity Lutheran Church
535 N. Neville, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
+1-412-683-4121
EricAndrae@gmail.com

About Sunday School

Our Sunday School Teachers spend much time and effort throughout the week to ensure they engage students with meaningful lessons from God's Word. These lessons teach the love of God in Jesus, and share how God's love touches kids' lives each day. You can support the efforts of our Sunday school team by bringing your children -- ages toddler through 6th grade -- to Sunday school every week to learn from God's Holy Word! Classes start at 9:15 am in the school wing. 

Bulletin: Sunday, February 22, 2026 + This Week at Zion

View the bulletin for Sunday, February 22, 2026
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THIS WEEK AT ZION

Saturday, February 21
No Events Scheduled

Sunday, February 22
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)

Monday, February 23
6:00 p.m. - 1st Year Confirmation Class
7:00 p.m. - 2nd Year Confirmation Class

Tuesday, February 24
6:15 p.m. - Bell Choir
7:15 p.m. - Adult Choir

Wednesday, February 25
Lent Week 1
2:00 p.m. - Lent Worship Service
2:30 p.m. - Bible Study Nurturing Your Faith: Patient Urgency
7:00 p.m. - Ash Wednesday Worship Service with imposition of ashes
(Service streamed on our YouTube channel)

Thursday, February 26
6:30 p.m. - LWML Meeting (additional details)

Friday, February 27
No Events Scheduled

Saturday, February 28
11:00 a.m. Bible Study with Deaconess Joanna Lee - Nurturing Your Faith: Patient Urgency
2:00 p.m. - Men’s Bowling Fellowship (additional details)

Sunday, March 1
8:00 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
9:15 a.m. — Adult/Teen Bible Study & Sunday School
10:30 a.m. — Worship Service with Communion
(The 8:00 a.m. service streamed on our YouTube channel)

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CLICK THE UPCOMING EVENTS GRAPHIC to go directly to our UPCOMING EVENTS page

Third Annual District Forum Held in St. Louis

Third annual district forum held in St. Louis 
By Mary Henrichs, Reporter Staff, January 27, 2026 

Despite the snowy road conditions in much of the Midwest, the weather did not deter any of the 48 district leaders — representing 31 LCMS districts — who attended the third annual district forum at The LCMS International Center in St. Louis on Dec. 2–3, 2025. The event, hosted by the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM), acts as a key opportunity for ONM staff and district leaders to collaborate on areas of both growth and challenge that face their ministry. 

Attending for the third time, the Rev. Jim Henkell, ministry executive for the LCMS Pacific Southwest District, described the shared enthusiasm around the event: “The interaction with colleagues is phenomenal: to discover and learn what God is doing in their districts and to discern if that applies to us, and also to delight in it with them.” 

The first part of the day included two breakout training sessions, offered by National Mission, from which participants could choose: one on “Exploring God’s Mission Here,” a Bible study and congregational planning tool; and another on ONM grant programs, led by Deaconess Maryann Hayter, LCMS manager of grantmaking. 

The Rev. Dan Galchutt, ONM executive director and interim LCMS chief mission officer, explained “Exploring God’s Mission Here” as a resource designed to help facilitate “tough conversations with congregations that are in challenging spots.” It seeks to address the spiritual and emotional side of those conversations while also helping to isolate the relevant facts and numbers. Designed to be led by a district leader, the Bible study includes questions to guide congregational self-appraisal, then points the congregation toward possible next steps, such as revitalization, developing partnerships, church planting/replanting, or even a blessed end. 

Throughout Galchutt’s presentation, group discussion revolved around two main questions: How can leaders and congregations be more proactive, and how can leaders encourage people to participate in the ongoing mission of God: seeking and saving the lost? 

In the grantmaking training session, Hayter walked participants through nine separate grant programs that offer funding to congregations, schools, Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) and workers. “What I really love [about the district forum] is [that] it’s an opportunity to hear from the district personnel. … While I was giving them a ton of different information, I was also acquiring from them what we could do better to communicate with them and with the congregations and RSOs within their districts,” said Hayter. 

Later in the day, discussion topics and presentations were provided by the district leaders. The Rev. Daniel Grams, mission executive in the LCMS Kansas District, walked through a case study of successful revitalization at Christ Lutheran Church in Manhattan, Kan., which had declined to only 12 members and was ready to close its doors. Through a partnership with the district and the calling of a pastor (the Rev. James D. Woelmer), the church devoted itself to the intention “that God may instill in our hearts a passion for the lost.” Woelmer visited and shared the Gospel with over 250 unchurched families. Over the course of two years, Christ Lutheran gained 45 new members and now has a weekly attendance of about 60. 

The Rev. Dr. Allan Buss, president of the LCMS Northern Illinois District, discussed church revitalization. No matter how big or small, “all of our congregations are always in need of revitalization,” said Buss. He also emphasized the importance of tapping into the energy and leadership of laypeople. 

The ONM offered a resource fair for attendees to have consultation and discussion with staff, and, on the second day, district and ONM leaders took part in roundtable discussions focused on the districts’ recently concluded conventions, exchanging ideas, struggles and success stories in areas including school ministry, worker wellness, church planting and disaster response. 

LWML News Update: 2 Upcoming Events

Hello Women of Zion!
Our Winter LWML Meeting will be next Thursday, February 26th at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. We will cut stamps and prepare them to be sent out for missions.  Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share. We hope to see you there! 
 
Please also mark your calendars!
We will be hosting a Lenten Supper on Wednesday, March 18th at 5:30 p.m. before the evening Lenten service.  Please watch for a sign-up genius next week. Free-will offerings that night will be used to support the Eastern District Deaf Ministry. Plan to attend and help out and learn about this great ministry in our area!

In Christ,
Tevia Grimenstein

Youth Group: Spring Retreat May 15-17

Zion youth are going on a Spring Retreat May 15-17, 2026 
Save the date for a fun-filled weekend retreat that your middle/high school aged-child won’t want to end! At Pioneer on the Lake -- a Lutheran Camp and Retreat Center on the shores of beautiful Lake Erie -- weekend retreats are packed with meaningful worship, relevant teaching, devotion time, a hands-on service project, and awesome Christian fellowship with friends, both new and familiar. Add in fun games and camp activities, and it’s a weekend that’s both spiritually impactful and incredibly memorable. 

More details to come !!!