CLAREMONT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

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2 CLAREMONT UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Ash Wednesday March 6, :00 p.m. Assistive listening devices and large print bulletins are available from any usher. *Indicates invitation to stand as able. *UMH stands for the United Methodist Hymnal. The Order of Worship CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC IN PREPARATION OF WORSHIP As you begin this service, take a few moments to bring yourself before God your present state of mind and preoccupations, as well as your desire to meet God during this time. *OPENING WORDS (please stand) adapted from Psalm 51 Leader: Have mercy on us, O God and put a new and right spirit within us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation, and sustain in us a willing spirit. *HYMN Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days UMH No. 269 pg. 7 *GATHERING PRAYER (remain standing) Leader: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Leader: Let us pray. When we fear and are doubtful People: Help us find the strength and courage of faith. Leader: When we are lonely and afraid People: Help us cling to your healing love. Leader: Lord, we come to you this day, ready for your healing mercies. People: Be with us, O Lord, and heal our spirits. Amen. SCRIPTURE READING Joel 2:12-17 Old Testament pg. 847 (blue) pg (red) 2

3 INVITATION TO OBSERVE A HOLY LENT Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: the early Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration, there should be a forty-day season of spiritual preparation. During this season, converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins, and had separated themselves from the community of faith were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to participation in the life of the Church. In this way the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our faith. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, 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. To make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before our Creator and Redeemer. A brief silence is kept. SCRIPTURE READING Matthew 6:1-6, New Testament pg. 5 (blue) pg. 6 (red) ANTHEM Thou Knowest, Lord Purcell The Sanctuary Choir Barbara Durost, guest director SERMON Warning Pastor Mark Wiley PRAYER OF CONFESSION UMH No Psalm 51:1-17, read responsively with sung response no. 1 pgs. 8-9 silence for personal prayers of confession During the silence, you are invited to use the inserted paper to write down things you want to surrender to God. These might include sins, relationships, goals to work on, barriers or resentments, things in your soul that need cleaning out or pruning back, or hopes for a new start. As you come forward to receive the mark of ash, please place your paper in the bowl. These offerings will be burned in the service. 3

4 THANKSGIVING OVER THE ASHES IMPOSITION OF THE ASHES A period of silence will follow. Those who wish to do so, come forward to have the sign of the cross placed on their foreheads or hands. The ashes are from palm branches mixed with oil. ASSURANCE OF GOD S GRACE Jesus has forgiven you. God has forgiven you. You are free. God knows you by name and is delighted by you. Amen. * THE PEACE Leader: The peace of Christ be always with you. People: And also with you! Greet one another in the name of Christ. HYMN More Love to Thee, O Christ verses 1, 2 UMH No. 453 More love to thee, O Christ, more love to thee! Hear thou the prayer I make on bended knee. This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to thee; more love to thee, more love to thee! Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest; now thee alone I seek, give what is best. This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ, to thee; more love to thee, more love to thee! SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION THE GREAT THANKSGIVING Leader: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Leader: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them to you, Lord. Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to praise you, Lord. Leader: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Holy Triune God, Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit. From the rising of the sun to its setting your name is praised among all peoples. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with your people on earth and all the company of heaven who forever sing this hymn to the glory of your name: 4

5 People: 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! Hosanna in the highest! Leader: You are holy, ever present One! Blessed are you, Jesus Christ! In the power of the Spirit you created all things, blessed them, and called them good. You called to yourself a people to make your mercy and truth known in all the world. We betrayed your calling; People: you were faithful. Leader: We wandered from the way; People: you called us to return, and led us home. Leader: And still we turned from your ways, abused your creatures, and made ourselves slaves to sin and death. At the right time you came and dwelt among us, as one of us, bringing good news to the poor, healing the sick, raising the dead, sharing table with the unrighteous, and teaching the way that leads to life. By your incarnation, life, suffering, execution and resurrection you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery and made a new covenant with us by water and the Spirit. On the night of your betrayal, Lord Jesus, you took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to your disciples and said, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. You did the same with the cup after the supper, saying, This cup that is poured out is the new covenant in my blood. Blessed Trinity, in remembrance of all you have done to save us, we offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of our faith: People: Christ has come among us. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ abides with us. Christ will come again. Leader: Pour out your Spirit on us. continued > 5

6 People: Pour out your Spirit on us. Leader: Pour out your Spirit on these gifts. People: Pour out your Spirit on these gifts. Leader: Make these gifts the body and blood of Christ. People: Make us, through them, Christ s body alive in the world. THE LORD S PRAYER (Former Methodist Church from UMH No. 895) Our Father (or Mother, Abba, God, Creator), 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 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, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. BREAKING OF THE BREAD SHARING THE BREAD AND THE CUP Since all stand in need of the divine grace made available in the sacrament, Holy Communion is available to all who recognize their need for this grace. Please dip the bread carefully into the chalice of non-alcoholic wine and consume. Gluten-free crackers are available from each server at your request. It is customary to respond to the reception of bread and wine by saying, Amen. Persons needing to be served in their seat should notify an usher. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION *HYMN What Wondrous Love Is This UMH No. 292 pg. 10 *BENEDICTION DEPARTING IN SILENCE HYSSOP: Each week in Lent, we will feature a different flower in worship. Each week the flower will be one that is symbolic of an aspect of Lent. Hyssop is the flower for Ash Wednesday. Hyssop is mentioned in the Psalm of the day, Psalm 51. It is a flower that symbolizes the act of repentance. 6

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11 ** The Opening Words are from Seasons of the Spirit, Congregational Life, Ash Wednesday Resource, The Gathering Prayer is from Cokesbury Worship online. The Invitation to Observe a Holy Lent is from The United Methodist Book of Worship, no. 322, 1992 The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN. The Great Thanksgiving is from A Contemporary Service of Holy Communion copyright 2007 The General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church, PO BOX , Nashville, TN , Used by permission. 11

12 Ministers: The Whole Congregation Clergy and Staff The Rev. Mark Wiley ~ Lead Pastor x224 The Rev. Martha Morales ~ Minister of Education and Caring Ministries x231 Jessica Johnston, M.Div. ~ Church Administrator x222 Genaro Cordova ~ Facilities Engineer Jeri Bollman, M.S. ~ Director: CUMC Preschool, Sara Swift Tharpe, M.Div. ~ Director: Children s and Youth Ministries Katie Ledsinger ~ Organist; Director: The Circuit Ringers, CUMC Kids Choir, Youth Chimes Jared Pugh ~ Director: Sanctuary Choir Dr. Barbara Durost ~ Drama Coordinator Haylee Coburn ~ Director: Preschool Music Marie Soltero and Elizabeth Slater ~ Nursery Attendants Mateo Mamea ~ Sunday Custodian Leeann Nabors ~ The Clinebell Institute, Located in the California Pacific Annual Conference The Rev. Dr. Grant J. Hagiya ~ Resident Bishop The Rev. Melissa Roux MacKinnon ~ East District Superintendent In covenant with United Methodist Missionaries Mozart Adevu ~ West Africa Stephen Copley ~ Arkansas In covenant with Dios es Amor Methodist Church ~ Tijuana, Mexico ~ churchoffice@claremontumc.info Office: Fax: Toll Free: W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, CA 91711