Silence while gathering
Greeting
Pastor: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
Pastor: Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.
All: God’s mercy endures forever.
Prayer: O God our deliverer, you led your people of old through the wilderness and brought them to the promised land. Guide now the people of your church, that, following our Savior, we may walk through the wilderness of this world toward the glory of the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen
Hymn – Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days – UMH 269
Lord, who throughout these forty days for us didst fast and pray,
teach us with thee to mourn our sins and close by thee to stay.
As thou with Satan didst contend, and didst the victory win,
O give us strength in thee to fight, in thee to conquer sin.
As thou didst hunger bear, and thirst, so teach us, gracious Lord,
to die to self, and chiefly live by thy most holy word.
And through these days of penitence, and through thy passion tide,
yea, evermore in life and death, Jesus, with us abide.
Abide with us, that so, this life of suffering over past,
an Easter of unending joy we may attain at last.
Scripture Reading – Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
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— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like darkness 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. Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 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. 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?
Scripture Reading – Second Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 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. 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! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Hymn – Sunday’s Palms Are Wednesday’s Ashes – TFWS 2138
Words: Rae E. Whitney Music: B.F. White. CCLI#
Sunday’s Palms are Wednesday’s ashes as another Lent begins;
thus we kneel before our Maker in contrition for our sins.
We have marred baptismal pledges, in rebellion gone astray;
now, returning, seek forgiveness; grant us pardon, God this day!
We have failed to love our neighbors, their offences to forgive,
have not listened to their troubles, nor have cared just how they live,
we are jealous, proud, impatient, loving overmuch our things;
may the yielding of our failings be our Lenten offerings.
We are hasty to judge others, blind to proof of human need;
and our lack of understanding demonstrates our inner greed;
we have wasted earth’s resources; want and suffering we’ve ignored;
come and cleanse us then restore us; make new hearts within us, Lord!
Gospel Reading – Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
“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. “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. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “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. 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. “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. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Message
Thanksgiving over the Ashes: Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, so that we may remember that only by your gracious gift are we given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen
Imposition of Ashes: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Repent, and believe the gospel.
Hymn – Just as I Am – UMH 357
Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, thy love unknown hath broken every barrier down;
now, to be thine, yea, thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Confession and Pardon – Psalm 51
All: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgression and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless in your judgement. (silent acknowledgment of sin)
Pastor: Lord, you desire truth in the inward being, teach us wisdom.
All: Purge my sin from me. Wash me and I shall be clean. Deliver me from death, O God of my salvation. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. I will sing aloud of your deliverance, from my mouth shall pour forth your praise. Amen.
Passing the Peace
Prayer of Thanksgiving – Lord God, we are thankful that we are not taking this journey alone; that your Spirit accompanies us, leading us in wisdom, giving us strength when we are weary and rest when we are overwhelmed. Use these forty days of Lent to prepare us for our mission to the world in Jesus’ name. Amen
Benediction – May the blessing of God give us strength for the journey. May the Spirit of wisdom give us vision for the road. May the love of Christ make us caring companions, as together we go forth from this place. Amen