Ash Wednesday Service
Wednesday March 2, 2022
6:30PM
PRELUDE
WELCOME
CALL TO WORSHIP
The sacrifice acceptable to God, is a humble spirit, a broken and contrite heart God will not turn away. Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on the holy mountain.
For the day of the Lord is coming, it is near!
Yet even now, saws the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and with weeping. Return to the Lord your God.
For God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
I entreat you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake, God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God.
HYMN: #729 (Red ) “Lord I Want To Be A Christian”
Lord, I want to be a Christian
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus
in my heart, in my heart.
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Gracious God, our to your love and mercy, you breathed into dust the breath of life, creating us to serve you and neighbors. Call forth our prayers and acts of tenderness, and strengthen us to face our mortality, that we may reach with confidence for your mercy; in Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
CALL TO CONFESSION
We confess as one body before God alone. We confess as persons known and beloved by God. Let us pray together with our distinct voices, trusting the Spirit to intercede for us all.
CONFESSION (From Psalm 51:1-4a, 10-12, 15) (Congregational Response: Create in me a clean heart, O God)
Have mercy on us O God, in your great kindness. In the fullness of your mercy, blot out our offenses. Wash away all our guilt; and cleanses us from our sin.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
For we acknowledge our faults; and our sin is always before us. Against you only have we sinned and have done evil in your sight.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Create in us a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Do not cast us away from your presence, do not take your holy spirit from us.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Give us the joy of your help again; and strengthen us with a willing spirit. O Lord, open our lips; and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
ASSURANCE
The Spirit guides us as we navigate the known and the unknown of this world. Our defenses crumble in the presence of God’s holiness. Our hearts are softened in the presence of Christ’s mercy. Trust the good news of the gospel; nothing in life or death, nor any power, can take from you the love of God.
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Merciful God, your Word is the wisdom we seek. Create in us hearts that are clean and put your Holy Spirit within us, may we receive your grace today and on the day of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
First Reading: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
1 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?’”
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
1As 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.
PASTORAL REFLECTION- “Keeping Time” Rev. Norlita Kaul
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE [the congregational sung response is #227 (Red) Jesus Remember Me]
Remember loving God, what you have wrought in us, and not what we deserve.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
As your Son has asked us to take up our own cross and follow, let us neither be timid, nor rash disciples. As you have asked us to truly love each other, deliver us from shallow sentiment and pretentious piety.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
You have called us to be ambassadors of reconciliation, please make us worthy of that calling; that the poor and the meek may inherit both earth and heaven, and the merciful obtain much mercy.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
That the peacemakers may live as children of God, and those who are persecuted may rejoice and be glad; that those who hunger and thirst may be satisfied and the pure in heart may come to see God.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
We lift up to you loving God, those whom are on our hearts, minds and spirits this night. (please feel free to name them where you are sitting in the pews)
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.
Remember loving God, what you have wrought in us and not what we deserve. This we pray through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
INVITATION TO THE LENTEN DISCIPLINE
Friends in Christ, every year at the time of the Christian Passover, we celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration and to renew our life in this mystery. We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance, for the mercy and forgiveness that is proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes. This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life, and it marks the penitence of this community of faith.
I invite you therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent, by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.
PRAYER BEFORE DISTRIBUTION OF ASHES
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. May these ashes be for us a sign of our mortality, our penitence, our dependence upon God alone. It is only by your gracious and generous gifts, especially in our Lord Jesus, that we are given everlasting life. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
IMPOSITION OF ASHES
(please come at the direction of the usher)
PRAYER AFTER DISTRIBUTION
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 our Savior, bring us with all your saints into the joy of Christ's resurrection, found in eternal life. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
HYMN #835 (Red) ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee’
Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. [Refrain]
Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]
When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy shore, dear Lord, to Thy shore. [Refrain]
BENEDICTION
Wear your ashes with serene contentment and quiet courage. May the peace of God go with you and may Jesus our Savior, give you the grace, to “love mercy, do justly, and to walk humbly with your God,” today, and throughout these forty days of Lent. Amen.
May the Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent, one from the other. Amen. (Mizpah Benediction)
POSTLUDE
What does your dream house look like? Picture it in your mind. You have the land, the plans, all the necessary financial resources, and you will have the last word on every single detail. It is your house, built to your own liking, but not in one day. You also have a spiritual house, which you are constructing, day by day. Let the foundation be wisdom, instruction, discipline and understanding. The rooms of your spiritual home need to be filled. What will go into each room? Here too, you have the final word. But transformation does not happen overnight. It is not that God needs more time to accomplish the task. Rather, you need space from day to day to adjust to the construction process. It takes a lifetime to grow in godliness. How can God, the Master Builder, help you?
Sources: Call to Worship Lectionary Aids for 2020-2021 Year A Vo.54.1 PCUSA; Copyright © 2019 David S. Bell. Reprinted with permission from www.DavidSBell.org. and from the Book of Common Worship, Westminster Knox Press, Louisville KY, 1993; Adapted from: http://www.myredeemerlives.com/prayers.html