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ASH WEDNESDAY
‘‘You are dust, and to dust you shall return.’
These words from Genesis 3 may be seen as primitive science, but this primitive
science is not necessarily antithetical to today’s science which tells us that
both the stuff of our bodies and everything around us was once at the heart of
a star. Both stories tell us that we are formed from inert material; made from
the stuff of the universe.
But to know ourselves as created, and not only
created, but limited by death, is by extension to give acknowledgement to a
creator to whom we also must give account. While we are formed beings, dust is
formless and can easily be scattered. We are not gods: we are frail and mortal.
The Church embraces the sign of ashes to begin the
penitential season of Lent. In Lent we recall not only our physical mortality,
but our thralldom to ‘death of the spirit:’ everything that separates us from
God and our neighbor. We fast from the good things of the earth to remind us of
our dependence upon God for all things and how often we have declared
independence from him in reaching out for what is not ours. We intensify our
prayer life; we give to those in need, in remembrance that the good we do to
our neighbor we do to Christ himself. In
all of these things we seek to live the life of turning toward God that is true
repentance.
The readings for the Ash Wednesday service remind
us of the traditional activities and attitudes of Lent. The passage from Joel
calls the people to a solemn assembly, a fast, urging them ‘Return to the LORD
your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love.’ This was an ancient Israelite liturgical praise of God, found
in many books of the Old Testament. The God of the Old Testament is the
gracious God who calls us and seeks us out in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of confession and
repentance after his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband
Uriah. It can be a reminder of our desire to judge others, as we are less
likely than God to forgive David’s brutal victimization of others. However, we
are given confidence when we remember that God’s mercy extends to all, and that
indeed God works true repentance in
the sinner and not simply a pretense of piety.
Saint Paul calls the Corinthians to be reconciled
to God. The moment of the Word’s encounter with the hearer is the ‘acceptable
time,’ the ‘day of salvation’ which the Psalms promise.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls his
disciples, who are to be ‘salt of the earth’ and ‘light of the world,’ to avoid
almsgiving, prayer, and fasting which are mere pretenses in order to gain
approval of self and others. Rather these practices are to be done without
drawing attention to the self – they are directed toward God. We are promised
that there will be a reward for them – and the reward is God himself, for these
spiritual disciplines bring forth fruits of the Spirit.
The congregation and ministers
gather in silence.
OPENING MUSIC Out of the Depths I Cry to You
I. F.W. Zachau
II.
Jean Langlais
Please meditate on the
text of the hymn as it is played:
1 Out
of the depths I cry to you;
O
Father, hear me calling.
Incline
your ear to my distress
in
spite of my rebelling.
Do
not regard my sinful deeds.
Send
me the grace my spirit needs;
without
it I am nothing.
2 All
things you send are full of grace;
you
crown our lives with favor.
All
our good works are done in vain
without
our Lord and Savior.
We
praise the God who gives us faith
and
saves us from the grip of death;
our
lives are in his keeping.
3 It
is in God that we shall hope,
and
not in our own merit.
We
rest our fears in his good Word
and
trust his Holy Spirit.
His
promise keeps us strong and sure;
we
trust the holy signature
inscribed
upon our temples.
4 My
soul is waiting for the Lord
as
one who longs for morning;
no
watcher waits with greater hope
than
I for his returning.
I
hope as Israel in the Lord;
he
sends redemption through his Word.
We
praise him for his mercy.
Text: Martin Luther, 1483-1546; tr. Gracia
Grindal, b. 1943
© 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship,
admin. Augsburg Fortress
PSALMODY: Psalm 51:1-18
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your |
lovingkindness;*
in
your great compassion blot out | my offenses.
2Wash me through and through | from my
wickedness,*
and
cleanse me | from my sin.
3For I know | my transgressions,*
and
my sin is ev- | er before me.
4Against you only | have I sinned*
and
done what is evil | in your sight.
5And so you are justified | when you speak*
and
upright | in your judgment.
6Indeed, I have been wicked | from my birth,*
a
sinner from my | mother's womb.
7For behold, you look for truth | deep within
me,*
and
will make me understand | wisdom secretly.
8Purge me from my sin, and I | shall be
pure;*
wash
me, and I shall be | clean indeed.
9Make me hear of | joy and gladness,*
that
the body you have broken | may rejoice.
10Hide your face | from my sins,*
and
blot out all | my iniquities.
11Create in me a clean | heart, O God,*
and
renew a right spir- | it within me.
12Cast me not away | from your presence,*
and
take not your Holy | Spirit from me.
13Give me the joy of your saving | help again*
and
sustain me with your boun- | tiful Spirit.
14I shall teach your ways | to the wicked,*
and
sinners shall re- | turn to you.
15Deliver me from | death, O God,*
and
my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O
God of | my salvation.
16Open my | lips, O Lord,*
and
my mouth shall pro- | claim your praise.
17Had you desired it, I would have | offered
sacrifice,*
but
you take no delight | in burnt-offerings.
18The sacrifice of God is a | troubled
spirit;*
a
broken and contrite heart, O God, you will | not despise.
The Pastor
addresses the congregation.
Brothers and sisters: God created us to experience
joy in communion with him, to love all humanity, and to live in harmony with
all of his creation. But sin separates us from God, our neighbors, and
creation, and so we do not enjoy the life our Creator intended for us. Also, by
our sin we grieve our Father, who does not desire us to come under his
judgment, but to turn to him and live.
As disciples of the Lord Jesus we are called to
struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and neighbor.
Repentance, fasting, prayer, and works of love--the discipline of Lent--help us
to wage our spiritual warfare. I invite you, therefore, to commit yourselves to
this struggle and confess your sins, asking our Father for strength to
persevere in your Lenten discipline.
Stand
Silence for reflection and self-examination.
The minister leads the congregation in confession:
Most holy and
merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another, and to
the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by
our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we
have left undone.
We have not
loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our
neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, Lord.
We have been
deaf to your call to serve as Christ served us. We have not been true to the
mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.
We confess to
you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness. The pride, hypocrisy, and impatience in
our lives,
we confess to you, Lord.
Our
self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,
we confess to you, Lord.
Our anger at the
frustration of our desires, and our covetousness of the worldly goods of
others,
we confess to you, Lord.
Our intemperate
love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
we confess to you, Lord.
Our negligence
in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
we confess to you, Lord.
Accept our repentance,
Lord, for the wrongs we have done. For our blindness to human need and
suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
accept our repentance, Lord.
For all false
judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice
and contempt toward those who differ from us,
accept
our repentance, Lord.
For our waste
and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come
after us,
accept our repentance, Lord.
Restore us, good
Lord, and let your anger depart from us.
Hear us, Lord, for your mercy is great. Amen
Sit
The pastor will invite the people,
one person or family unit at a time, to come forward as a sign of repentance. Come
to the table at the front of the chancel, where a bowl of ashes has been
placed. (Do not touch the ashes.) The pastor makes the sign of the cross over
the penitent and says:
Remember that you are dust, and to
dust you shall return.
Amen
Should you not desire to come forward, please indicate this
with a shake of the head when the pastor invites you forward.
After all who desire have come forward,
the congregation stands, and the
minister leads the congregation in the conclusion of the confession.
Accomplish in us, O God, the work of your
salvation,
that we may show forth your glory in the world.
By the cross and Passion of your Son, our Lord,
bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.
Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
does not desire the death of sinners, but rather that they may turn from their
wickedness and live. Therefore we implore him to grant us true repentance and
his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do on this day, that
the rest of our life may be pure and holy, and that at the last we may come to
his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Sit
Silence
for reflection.
Stand
Prayer of the Day
Almighty
and ever-living God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins
of all who are penitent. Create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly
repenting of our sins, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, full
pardon and forgiveness through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Sit
First Reading
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound
the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let
all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for
the day of the LORD is coming, it is near —
2
a day of darkness and gloom,
a
day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like
blackness spread upon the mountains
a
great and powerful army comes;
their
like has never been from of old,
nor
will be again after them
in
ages to come.
12 Yet even
now, says the LORD,
return
to me with all your heart,
with
fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return
to the LORD, your God,
for
he is gracious and merciful,
slow
to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and
relents from punishing.
14 Who knows
whether he will not turn and relent,
and
leave a blessing behind him,
a
grain offering and a drink offering
for
the LORD, your God?
15 Blow the
trumpet in Zion;
sanctify
a fast;
call
a solemn assembly;
16
gather the people.
Sanctify
the congregation;
assemble
the aged;
gather
the children,
even
infants at the breast.
Let
the bridegroom leave his room,
and
the bride her canopy.
17
Between the vestibule and the altar
let
the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep.
Let
them say, "Spare your people, O LORD,
and
do not make your heritage a mockery,
a
byword among the nations.
Why
should it be said among the peoples,
'Where
is their God?'"
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to
God.
PSALM
103:8-14
The psalm is read responsively between the
pastor and the people.
The Lord is full of
compassion and mercy. (vs.
1)
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
8 The Lord
is full of compas- | sion and mercy,*
slow to anger and | of great
kindness.
9 He will not al- | ways
accuse us,*
nor
will he keep his an- | ger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according | to our sins,*
nor rewarded us according | to
our wickedness.
11 For as the heavens are high
| above the earth,*
so
is his mercy great upon | those who fear him.
12 As far as the east is | from the west,*
so far has he removed our | sins
from us.
13 As a father cares | for his
children,*
so
does the Lord care for | those who
fear him.
14 For he himself knows whereof | we are made;*
he remembers that we | are but
dust.
The Lord is full of compassion
and mercy.
Second Reading
20 We entreat
you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he
made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
As we work together with him, we
urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
"At
an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and
on a day of salvation I have helped you."
See,
now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3 We
are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our
ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in
every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5
beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6
by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7
truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for
the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill
repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9
as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see — we are alive; as
punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;
as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing
everything.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Stand
VERSE
Return
to the Lord, your God, who is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast
love. Joel 2:13
Gospel
The Holy Gospel according to St.
Matthew.
Glory to you,
O Lord.
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1
Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by
them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2
So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites
do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you
give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4
so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.
5
And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand
and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen
by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But
whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father
who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16
And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they
disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell
you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil
on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen
not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you.
19
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume
and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do
not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to
you, O Christ.
Sit
Sermon
HYMN OF THE DAY O Sun of Justice
Please meditate on the text of the hymn as
it is played.
1 O
Sun of justice, Jesus Christ,
dispel
the darkness of our hearts,
till
your blest light makes nighttime flee
and
brings the joys your day imparts.
2 In
this our “time acceptable”
touch
ev’ry heart with sorrow, Lord,
that,
turned from sin, renewed by grace,
we
may press on toward love’s reward.
3 The
day, your day, in beauty dawns
when
in your light earth blooms anew;
led
back again to life’s true way,
may
we, forgiv’n, rejoice in you.
4 O
loving Trinity, our God,
to
you we bow through endless days,
and
in your grace new-born we sing
new
hymns of gratitude and praise. Amen
Text: Latin hymn, 6th cent.; tr. Peter J.
Scagnelli, b. 1949
Tr. © Peter J. Scagnelli
Stand
PRAYERS
OF INTERCESSION
Let us pray for the whole people of God
in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs.
Silence is kept.
For the health and well-being of the
whole Church, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the mission of our faith family, let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our bishop, Dan; our pastors,
Maurice and Harvey, and all pastors, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those throughout the world who prepare
for baptism in this season of Lent, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who hold civil authority in
our nation and in the nations of the world, and for those who work for peace,
justice, health and protection in this and every place, let us pray to the
Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the sick in body, mind, and spirit; for
those who are in prison; for the poor, the isolated, and those with no one to
care for them, and for those we name before you:
The People may intercede for others aloud or in silence.
Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For the time when our sinful
selves are fully purged in the waters of baptism, and we rejoice with the
saints in the revelation of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
Into your hands, Father, we
commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your steadfast love, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Amen
Peace
Since we are justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ,
who has given us access to his
grace.
The peace of the Lord be with you
always.
And also with
you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Let
us pray. Merciful Father,
turn us from sin to faithfulness
and from disobedience to love,
and prepare us to celebrate
the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and
praise.
We give you
thanks, Father,
through Jesus Christ, your beloved Son,
whom you sent in
this end of the ages
to save and redeem
us and to proclaim to us your will.
He is your Word,
inseparable from
you.
Through him you created all things,
and in him you take
delight.
He is your Word,
sent from heaven to
a virgin's womb.
He there took on our nature and our lot
and was shown forth
as your Son,
born of the Holy
Spirit and of the virgin Mary.
It is he, our Lord Jesus, who fulfilled all your will
and won for you a
holy people;
he stretched out
his hands in suffering
in order to free
from suffering those who trust you.
It is he who, handed over to a death he freely accepted,
in order to destroy
death, to break the bonds of the evil one,
to crush hell
underfoot, to give light to the righteous,
to establish his
covenant, and to show forth the resurrection,
taking bread and
giving thanks to you, said:
Take and eat; this is my body, broken for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all
to drink, saying:
This is my blood poured out for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Remembering, then, his death and resurrection,
we lift this bread
and cup before you,
giving you thanks
that you have made us worthy
to stand before you
and to serve you as your priestly people.
And we ask you:
Send your Spirit
upon these gifts of your Church;
gather into one all
who share this bread and wine;
fill us with your
Holy Spirit to establish our faith in truth,
that we may praise
and glorify you
through your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him all glory and honor are yours,
Almighty Father,
with the Holy Spirit,
in your holy Church
both now and forever.
Amen
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the Spirit,
we pray to his Father, saying:
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
Where
your treasure is,
there your heart shall be also. Matthew 6:21
We adore Christ with the words of the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
Grant us peace.
John 1:29, see also Luke 17:13
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
Admission to the Sacrament is by invitation of the
Lord, presented through the Church to those who are baptized.
They may receive the Lord’s Body and Blood who
are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
who commune in their home churches, and who believe that Jesus Christ,
crucified and risen, is truly present in, with, and under the forms of bread
and wine for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
The communicants will be
invited forward one family unit at a time. Please do not come forward until the
pastor directs you to come forward, do not approach all the way to the table
until the pastor has retreated, and please do not remove your mask until you
have reached the table with the elements on it.
When the pastor says ‘The body of Christ,
given for you,’ eat the bread. When the pastor says, ‘The blood of Christ, shed
for you,’ drink the wine. Please take
the plate and the glass(es) and place them on the table that is indicated.
Please put your mask on before returning to your seat.
Please meditate on the text of
the hymn as it is played.
Today Your Mercy Calls Us
1 Today
your mercy calls us
to
wash away our sin.
However
great our trespass,
whatever
we have been,
however
long from mercy
our
hearts have turned away,
your
precious blood can wash us
and
make us clean today.
2 Today
your gate is open,
and
all who enter in
shall
find a Father’s welcome
and
pardon for their sin.
The
past shall be forgotten,
a
present joy be giv’n,
a
future grace be promised,
a
glorious crown in heav’n.
3 Today
our Father calls us;
his
Holy Spirit waits;
his
blessed angels gather
around
the heav’nly gates.
No
question will be asked us,
how
often we have come;
although
we oft have wandered,
it
is our Father’s home.
4 O
all-embracing Mercy,
O
ever-open Door,
what
should we do without you
when
heart and eye run o’er?
When
all things seem against us,
to
drive us to despair,
we
know one gate is open,
one
ear will hear our prayer.
Text: Oswald Allen, 1816-1878, alt.
After
all have returned to their places, the congregation stands at the direction of
the pastor.
The body and blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
Post-Communion Prayer
Almighty God, you gave your Son both as a sacrifice for sin and a model
of the godly life. Enable us to receive him always with thanksgiving,
and
to conform our lives to his; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Silence for
meditation.
BENEDICTION
God the
Father, who does not despise the broken spirit,
give to
you a contrite heart.
Amen
God the
Son, who bore our sins in his body on the tree,
heal you
by his wounds.
Amen
God the
Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth,
speak to
you words of pardon and peace.
Amen
Almighty God,
Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now
and forever.
Amen
Dismissal
Go
in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to
God.
