ASH WEDNESDAY CHURCH SERVICE If you are unable to attend a Church Service, why not follow the service below in prayer and thus begin your Lent? Perhaps you have been working in essential services, are caregiver at home or ill in bed. All of your intentions have been held before the Lord.
Celebrant; 'The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart you will not despise."
Psalm 51:17 Congregation; 'Lord, have mercy.'
Beginning hymn;God of mercy and compassion
Lyrics;
"God of mercy and compassion,
Look with pity upon me.
Father, let me call Thee Father,
'Tis Thy child returns to Thee.
Jesus, Lord, I ask for mercy,
Let me not implore in vain.
All my sins I now detest them,
Never will I sin again."
Celebrant; "Since the early days followers of Christ have observed with great devotion the time of our Lord's passion and resurrection. It is the custom of the Church to prepare for this by a season of penitence and fasting.
At first this season of Lent was observed by those who were preparing for baptism at Easter and by those who were to be restored to the Church's fellowship from which they had been separated through sin. In course of time the Church came to recognize that, by a careful keeping of these days, all might take to heart the call to repentance and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel, and so grow in faith and in devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ.
I invite you, therefore, in the Name of the Lord to observe a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance, by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word."
A period of reflective silence follows.
Celebrant: "Let us pray for grace to keep Lent faithfully.
Almighty and everlasting God, forgive the sins of all those who are penitent. Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we may be truly sorry for our sins, and obtain from You, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Invitation to Confession;
Celebrant: "Have mercy on us, O Lord." Congregation: "For we have sinned against You." Congregation; "Lord, have mercy."
Celebrant; "God our Father, You sent Your Son; born of a Virgin, born in a stable. Forgive our failures to receive Him. Lord have mercy." Congregation; "Lord, have mercy".
Celebrant; "Jesus our Savior, Born in poverty, apprentice to carpenter, Forgive the times we have wanted money more than the ways of God. Christ, have mercy". Congregation; "Christ, have mercy".
Celebrant; "Spirit of Love, Your servants Mary and Joseph obeyed Your Word and gave us our Saviour. Forgive us when our hearts are hard". Congregation; "Lord have mercy".
Celebrant; "May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to life eternal". Congregation; "Amen". Celebrant; "May God Who loved the world so much, That He sent His Son to be our Saviour, Forgive us our sins, and make us holy to serve Him in the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord". Congregation; "Amen.".
Here follows a few moments of silence. Reach out to God with your heart, and think of any area in your life where you can improve as a person. If there is an area in your life on which you need to work, silently communicate with God and commit to addressing this area.
Readings; First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah, 58;1-12
TRUE FASTING
"Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today,
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."
"This is the Word of the Lord."
Congregation: "Thanks be to God."
THE GOSPEL
Matthew 6:1-6
GIVING TO THE NEEDY
Celebrant: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, Who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
PRAYER
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, Who is unseen Then your Father, Who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
"This is the gospel of the Lord."
Congregation: "Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ."
WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT Celebrant; "The Holy Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, where He undertook forty days of fasting. During Lent we are called upon to accompany Jesus by fasting, prayer and almsgiving. We are thus called upon to tame our inner selves. We can never be truly free if we are enslaved to food, alcohol, drugs, physical intimacy without commitment, bad temper, laziness. We are not free if we are unable to be the master of our personality and ego.
Jesus overcame the flesh, the world and the devil. These three great powers enslaved humanity completely before Christ came to break their bonds. We must continually rebel against these three great powers in the course of our growth in holiness. Ephesians 2:2-3 tells us, "You once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh".
"The course of this world" refers to the ways of culture and society which oppose the Lord. There are ungodly trends in the world that once ruled our passions but now are defeated in Christ. And the journey of Lent helps us to rein our emotions, tame our passions, purify our thoughts, cleanse our speech, spring-clean our motives and practise godly behavior.
Perhaps you have a sin which is over-riding your life. Don't worry. This simply means you are a member of the human race. We are all struggling with after-effects of the Fall. Yet we are not struggling alone. Christ strides ahead of us into the desert to wrestle with the great powers which threaten our holiness. Let us follow with courage and seek His grace.
What are the practical things you can do during these forty days of reflection, prayer, fasting and almsgiving? Well, spend time in prayer. Be kind. Follow the Ten Commandments. If you have become weak with regard to one of the commandments, don't be too harsh with yourself about it. Just make a resolution to change, and find practical ways to change your habit. Confess your sins to God. Forgive others their sins towards you.
Become at peace with your world: and you too will overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. Remember you are not alone. On all sides clouds of witnesses are also striving towards holiness. We move towards heaven as the People of God.
Be of good cheer. Jesus has already won our redemption. Let us practise self-discipline this Lent and accept this great gift."
You may spend some time in quiet reflectilon if you so wish. BLESSING WITH ASHES
Celebrant: "We are blessed with ashes to remind us that God fashioned us from the earth, and we are organic: to the earth we shall return. Yet this is not the end, rather the beginning. Created in God's holy Image, we will not perish. Our immortal soul is destined for eternity in heaven. Our earthly body will be raised up at the resurrection, glorified and united with our soul and spirit. May this blessing of ashes upon your forehead remind you that, "you are dust, and to dust you shall return." May the symbol of ash remind you, too, of our glorious destiny once we have won the race and lived a godly life.
Enter into Lent with the resolve to make a true and repentant spiritual journey in the footsteps of the Christ Who sets us free."
(Herewith receive the blessing of ashes upon the forehead).
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION Celebrant; '"Lord, our God, grant us grace to desire You with our whole heart; that so desiring, we may seek and find You: and so finding, may love You: and so loving, may hate those sins from which You have delivered us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Congregation; "Amen." Celebrant; "Make our hearts clean, O Lord." Congregation; "And renew a right spirit within us." All: ''Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
we have sinned against You and against our neighbor,
in what we have thought, in what we have said and done:
through ignorance, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded Your love, and marred Your Image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed, and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, Who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and lead us out from darkness to walk as children of light. Amen." . Absolution; "Almighty God, Who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal: through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Congregation; "Amen."
HOLY COMMUNION Celebrant; "Most merciful Lord, Your love compels us to return to You. Our hands were unclean, our hearts were unprepared, we were not fit even to eat the crumbs from under Your table. But You, Lord, are the God of our salvation, and share Your bread with sinners. So cleanse and feed us with the precious Body and Blood of Your Son, that He may live in us and we in Him; and that we, with the whole company of Christ, may sit and eat in Your kingdom.
We praise You, Father, that on the night before He gave His life, our Lord Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to His disciples and said; 'Take, eat; this is My Body which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.' Congregation; 'Lord Jesus, You are the Bread of Life.' Celebrant; 'After the same manner also He took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them saying, 'Take this, all of you, and drink; for this is My Blood; the Blood of the New Covenant which is poured out for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins. Do This in memory of Me.' Congregation; 'Lord Jesus, You are the Cup of Life, the wine that is blessed for our salvation.'
THE LORD'S PRAYER 'Our Father, Who art in Heaven, Hallowed by 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, the power and the glory, forever, Amen.' BENEDICTION Celebrant; "Christ give you grace to grow in holiness, to deny yourselves, and to take up your cross and follow Him; and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you, and remain with you always." Congregation; 'Amen'. After a period of silent prayer, go out into your Lent.
Blessings!
LENT - THE TIME FOR FASTING, PRAYER AND ALSMGIVING
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