(Modified 2022-03-03: Added audio recording)
March 2, 2022 The First Day of Lent commonly called Ash Wednesday
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem
Oh, Lord and Master of my life!
Take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust of power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to
Your servant.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions
and not to judge my brother.
For you are blessed, unto ages of ages. Amen.
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PENITENTIAL SERVICE AND HOLY COMMUNNION AT SEVEN O‘CLOCK
Organ Prelude: What Does the Lord Require Erik Routley (1917-1982)
Sentences of Scripture p.611
Opening Hymn: # 611 Our Father, We Have Wandered
The Exhortation: p. 611
The Lesson: 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 blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them through the years of all generations.
“Yet even now,” says the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. Who knows whether he will not turn and repent,
and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare thy people, O Lord, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
R/ Thanks be to God
Please kneel.
Psalm 51 (said responsively by the full verse) page 394
The Prayers page 612
A Prayer for the Blessing of the Ashes
Versicles and Responses page 614
Imposition of Ashes
Please come forward and kneel and the Altar rail to receive the imposition of ashes.
The Prayers page 614-615.
Introit: Psalm 57.1-7 page 400
Lord’s Prayer, Collect for Purity page 67
The Decalogue page 68
Lord have Mercy and Collect page 70
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5: 20b- 6:10
So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech 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. Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,
“At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.”
Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in any one’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy 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 well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
R/ Thanks be to God
Psalm 103. 8-18 page 460
Gradual Hymn # 171 What Does the Lord Require
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (6.1-6, 16-21)
R/. Glory be to thee, O Lord
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. R/. Praise be to Thee, O Christ
Sermon Rvd. Paula Foster
Offertory Hymn: # 605 Have Mercy, Lord, on Us
Offertory Anthem.
Blessed be thou, Lord of Israel, for ever and ever.
All that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine.
All Things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
The Intercession
Invitation, Confession and Absolution page 76, 77
Great Thanksgiving, Peace, Prayer of Humble Access
The Communion
Hymn after Communion: # 54 Bread of the World in Mercy Broken
Lord’s Prayer
Thanksgiving after Communion page 85, 86
The Paschal Anthem ( said together)
O KING all glorious amid thy /saintly /company, *
who /ever/ shalt be/ praised:
Thou, O Lord, art /in the/ midst of us, *
and we are called /by thy/ holy/ Name.
Leave us not,/ O our/ God;*
but grant us that with a pure conscience we may duly/keep the/Paschal Feast,
And at the /day of /judgement*
be placed in the number of thy Saints and chosen ones, /King /most/blessed.
The Blessing
Hymn # 606 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
Organ Postlude: Imploration 2 Jacques Berthier (1923-1994)
