Prayer
Ash Wednesday | February 22, 2012 | Christ Church Davis
All: Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Imposition of Ashes Benediction Prayer
Minister: May God the Father, who does not despise the broken spirit, give you a contrite heart. May Christ, who bore our sins in his body on the tree, heal you by his wounds. May the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth, speak to you words of pardon and peace. All: Amen.
Song: Come, Ye Sinners Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, weak and wounded, sick and sore; Jesus ready stands to save you, full of pity, love and power; Come, ye needy, come and welcome, God's free bounty glorify; True belief and true repentance, every grace that brings you nigh. Let not conscience make you linger; Nor of fitness fondly dream: All the fitness he requires, is to feel your need of him. Come, ye weary, heavy-laden, bruised and broken by the fall, If you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all; I will arise and go to Jesus, He will embrace me in His arms. In the arms of my dear Savior, oh, there are ten thousand charms. Minister: Ever mindful of our frailty, and through humble reliance on Christ alone, let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All: Thanks be to God! Out of respect for those who wish to remain in silence, please refrain from talking until outside the sanctuary.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. By the fourth century the Western church determined that the Lenten period of fasting and renewal should correspond to Christ’s forty-day fast, and, by counting forty days back from Easter (excluding Sundays, which remain “Feast” and Resurrection Celebration days), arrived at the Wednesday seven weeks before Easter. At one time Lent was primarily viewed as a period during which converts prepared for baptism on Easter Sunday, but later the season became a general time of penitence and renewal for all Christians. The sacrament of baptism will take on a special meaning within our congregation this year as we explore together what it means to die and rise with Christ. Join us at Christ Church as we experience Lent together, looking forward to our culminating Easter Baptismal Service on April 8, 2012. The aim of Ash Wednesday worship is threefold: to meditate on our mortality, sinfulness, and need of a savior; to renew our commitment to daily repentance in the Lenten season and in all of life; and to remember with confidence and gratitude that Christ has conquered death and sin. Ash Wednesday worship, then, is filled with gospel truth. It is a witness to the power and beauty of our union with Christ and to the daily dying and rising with Christ that this entails.
Song: Lord Have Mercy
Ever begotten and only Son, light in our darkness in prayer we come. Teach us dear Shepherd our lives to dwell, deep in Your shadows we pass through hell. Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy. Only say the word, and we shall be healed. Blessed and hidden in love's delight, Your Holy Spirit will voice our cry. Life in the Father exalted the Son, sending Your Spirit Your kingdom begun.
Song: Come, Oh Redeemer, Come
Father enthroned on high, Holy, holy Ancient, eternal Light, Hear our prayer. Lord, save us from the dark of our striving, Faithless and troubled hearts Weighed down. Come, oh Redeemer, come, Grant us mercy. Come, oh redeemer, come, Grant us peace. Look now upon our need; Lord be with us. Heal us and make us free from our sin.
Opening Prayer Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 58:1-12 Song: Psalm 103 Refrain: The Lord is kind and merciful; the Lord is kind and merciful. 1.Bless Yahweh, O my soul, from the depths of my being, bless Yahweh, O my soul, never forget his acts of kindness.
2.He forgives all your offenses, he cures your diseases, he redeems your life from the abyss, crowns you with love and tenderness. 3.Full of tenderness and pity, slow to anger, rich in faithful love; he does not treat us as our sins deserve nor repay us for our offenses. 4.And as a tender Father, he treats us as children; he knows of what we are made, he remembers that we are dust. 5.He has fixed his throne in heaven, his power rules over all. Bless Yahweh all his angels who attend to the sound of his command.
New Testament Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Meditation: Rev. Eric Dirksen Prayer of Confession: Psalm 51:1-4, 6, 9-12
Minister: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. All: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Minister: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. All: Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Minister: You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. All: Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Minister: Do not cast me from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. All: Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Silent Confession