Ash Wednesday
March 5th, 2025

Prelude
Come to Me (Sandra McCracken)

Come to me, walk with me
Learn the rhythms of my grace
Come to me, I have all you need
Learn to rest even while you are awake

Are you tired, are you worried
Worn out from the day?
Have you been in a hurry
I will slow the pace

Come to me

Bidding Prayer
Brothers and sisters in Christ: since early days Christians have observed with great devotion the time of our Lord’s passion and resurrection. It became 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 the course of time the Church came to recognize that, by a careful keeping of these days, all Christians 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. I invite you, therefore, 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.

The Collect of the Day 
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

O God, you delight not in pomp and show, but in a humble and contrite heart. Overturn our love of worldly possessions and fix our hearts more firmly on you, so that, having nothing, we may yet possess everything, a treasure stored up for us in heaven. Amen.

The First Lesson              Isaiah 58:1-12

Shout out; do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments; they want God on their side.
“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day and oppress all your workers.

You fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.”

If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.


Gospel Reading    Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

+ This is the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness 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 somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces 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.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.


Reflection                


Penitential Litany
Let us pray.
Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have not listened to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
Have mercy on us, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,
Have mercy on us, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
Have mercy on us, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
Have mercy on us, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our unawareness of human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
Have mercy on us, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
Have mercy on us, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
Have mercy on us, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desires not the death of sinners, but rather that they may turn from their wickedness and live, has given power and commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins. He pardons and absolves all those who truly repent, and with sincere hearts believe his holy Gospel. Therefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do on this day, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Imposition of Ashes
Dear friends in Christ, I invite you to receive these ashes as a sign of the spirit of penitence with which we shall keep this season of Lent. God our Father, you create us from the dust of the earth: grant that these ashes may be for us a sign of our penitence and a symbol of our mortality; for it is by your grace alone that we receive eternal life in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.

The Peace
If you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your sins. The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.

The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Father, almighty and ever living God, at all times and in all places it is right to give you thanks and praise. In obedience to your will, your Son our Savior offered himself as a perfect sacrifice, and died on the cross for our redemption. Through him you have freed us from sin and reconciled us to yourself, our God and Father. And so with all your people, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:

Sanctus
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed are you, Father, the creator and sustainer of all things; you made us in your own image; even when we turned away from you, you never ceased to care for us, but in your love and mercy you freed us from the slavery of sin, giving your only begotten Son to become man and suffer death on the cross to redeem us; he made there the one complete and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world: he instituted, and in his holy Gospel commanded us to continue, a perpetual memory of his precious death until he comes again.

On the night that he was betrayed he took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup; and when he had given thanks to you, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Therefore, Father, with this bread and this cup we do as Christ your Son commanded:

We remember his passion and death, we celebrate his resurrection and ascension, and we look for the coming of his kingdom.

Accept through him, our great high Priest, this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; and as we eat and drink these holy gifts, grant by the power of the life-giving Spirit that we may be made one in your holy Church and partakers of the body and blood of your Son, that he may dwell in us and we in him: Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory are yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say:

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

Padre nuestro que estás en el cielo, santificado sea tu Nombre, venga tu reino, hágase tu voluntad, en la tierra como en el cielo. Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día. Perdona nuestras ofensas, como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden. No nos dejes caer en tentación y líbranos del mal. Porque tuyo es el reino, tuyo es el poder, y tuya es la gloria, ahora y por siempre. Amén.

The Breaking of the Bread
The Bread which we break is a sharing in the Body of Christ.
We, being many, are one Body, for we all share in one Bread.

The Invitation
These are the Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

Communion Music
Psalm 126 (Our Mouths They Were Filled) (Bifrost Arts)

Our mouths they were filled
Filled with laughter
Our tongues they were loosed
Loosed with joy
Restore us, O Lord
Restore us, O Lord

Although we are weeping
Lord, help us keep sowing
The seeds of your Kingdom
For the day you will reap them
Your sheaves we will carry
Lord, please do not tarry
All those who sow weeping
Will go out with songs of joy

The nations will say,
"He has done great things!"
The nations will sing
Songs of joy

Restore us, O Lord
Restore us, O Lord

All those who sow weeping
Will go out with songs of joy

Prayer after Communion
Let us pray.

Our Father, we give you thanks and praise, that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us, so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Blessing
May God the Father, who does not despise the broken spirit, give to you a contrite heart. Amen.
May Christ, who bore our sins in his body on the tree, heal you by his wounds. Amen.
May the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth, speak to you words of pardon and peace. Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty, + Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Closing Song
For the Beauty of the Earth (Folliott Sandford Pierpoint) 


For the beauty of the earth, 

for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.


Lord of all, to thee we raise, 

This our hymn of grateful praise.


For the beauty of each hour 

Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree, and flow’r,
Sun and moon and stars of light


For the joy of ear and eye, 

For the heart and mind's delight,
For the mystic harmony, 

Linking sense to sound and sight:


Christ, our God, to thee we raise, 

This our Sacrifice of Praise.


For the joy of human love, 

brother, sister, parent, child.
Friends on earth and friends above, 

For all gentle thoughts and mild.


Lord of all, to thee we raise,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
Lord of all, to thee we raise, 

This our hymn of grateful praise.

The Dismissal
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.