Ash Wednesday. A Service for THE IMPOSITION OF ASHES FEBRUARY 14, 2018 FELLOWSHIP HALL 6:30 P.M. AND THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

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1 A Service for Ash Wednesday THE IMPOSITION OF ASHES AND THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION FEBRUARY 14, 2018 FELLOWSHIP HALL 6:30 P.M. Calvary Moravian Church 600 Holly Avenue Winston-Salem, NC

2 Ash Wednesday THE IMPOSITION OF ASHES AND THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION (Selections in today s service are taken from the blue Moravian Book of Worship.) PRELUDE The King of Love My Shepherd Is Healey Willan CALL TO WORSHIP The Right Reverend Lane A. Sapp +HYMN 341 Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days T. ST. FLAVIAN +CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS FOR MORAVIAN WORSHIP: LENT* The Reverend Ramona C. Prestwood Lord God, our Father in heaven, you have shown your great love toward us by sending your Son into the world to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. We give you thanks because you have made us worthy to share in the inheritance of the saints in light, having rescued us from the power of darkness, and brought us into the kingdom of your beloved Son. Lord God, Son, the Savior of the world, though you were in the form of God, you did not consider equality with God something to cling to, but emptied yourself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. You humbled yourself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. +All who are able, please stand. *Reprinted from Singing from The Heart: A Shorter Moravian Hymnal and Liturgies with the permission of the Interprovincial Board of Communication, Moravian Church in North America. 2

3 We give you thanks because you, our merciful and faithful High Priest, have made reconciliation for the sins of the people. You were despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. You were wounded for our transgressions; you were bruised for our iniquities; upon you fell the punishment that made us whole; and by your wounds we are healed. Lord God, Holy Spirit, one with the Father and the Son, you fill our hearts with the love of God and make our bodies your holy temple. We give you thanks because you descended upon the Christ, anointing him to bring good news to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set free those who are oppressed; and to proclaim the time of the Lord's favor. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, One in Three, and Three in One, as by the celestial host, let your will on earth be done; praise by all to you be giv n, glorious Lord of earth and heav'n. From all self-righteousness, From ingratitude and selfishness, From lukewarmness, From all indifference to your meritorious life and death, Deliver us, gracious Lord and God. T. LA TROBE (581 A) [Hymn on page 74] T. PASSION CHORALE (151 A) [Hymn 345] What language shall I borrow to thank you, dearest friend, for all your dying sorrow, your mercy without end? Grant me to lean unshaken upon your faithfulness till I from earth am taken to see you face to face. 3

4 By your holy incarnation and birth, By your early exile, By your pure and blameless childhood, By your willing obedience, By your humility, meekness, and patience, By your faithfulness in your earthly calling, By your fasting and temptation, By your perfect life before God and humanity, Bless and comfort us, gracious Lord and God. By your tears and agony, your crown of thorns and cross, Lead us to repentance for our sins. By your willing sacrifice of yourself even unto death, Make known to us the mystery of your love. Into your open arms stretched out upon the cross, Receive us all. By all your sacred wounds and precious blood, By your innocent suffering and dying, By your rest in the grave, By your glorious resurrection and ascension, Bless us and save us, Christ Jesus, our Redeemer. Fulfill in us your prayer that all who love you may be one, as you are in the Father, and the Father in you. Hear us and help us, gracious Savior. You have made God known to us as Father, so that the love with which he has loved you may be in us, And you in us. 4

5 Christ, and him crucified, Remain our confession of faith. T. COVENANT (185 A) [Hymn 346] Lamb of God, you shall remain forever of our songs the only theme; for your boundless love, your grace and favor, we will praise your saving name; that for our transgressions you were wounded, shall by us in nobler strains be sounded, when we, perfected in love, once shall join the church above. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD OF GOD The Reverend Dallas W. Prestwood OLD TESTAMENT: Psalm 51:1-17 p GOSPEL: Matthew 6:1-6, p. 839 Pastor: The Gospel of the Lord. Congregation: Thanks be to God. MEDITATION HANDBELLS Meditation on Maitland The Calvary Ringers Bishop Sapp arr., Nola Reed Knouse THE IMPOSITION OF ASHES AND THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION (The pastor offers a prayer of blessing for the ashes.) Gracious and ever-loving God, 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. 5

6 (The congregation stands for the Service of Holy Communion.) Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (During the singing of the following hymn, the congregation joins in the right hand of fellowship signifying oneness in Christ.) HYMN We Covenant with Hand and Heart T. WORSHIP (159 A) [Hymn on page 183] We covenant with hand and heart to follow Christ, our Lord; with world, and sin, and self to part, and to obey his word; to love each other heartily, in truth and in sincerity, and under cross, reproach and shame, to glorify his name. PRAYER AND THE LORD S PRAYER (The congregation stands as the pastors consecrate the bread and cup.) Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night that he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper our Lord Jesus Christ took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. (After the choir, the congregation will come forward by the side aisle, receive the ashes and move forward to the next station for the Holy Communion. As you receive a piece of bread, lightly dip the bread in the chalice and partake. Please return to your seat by the center aisle.) 6

7 (After everyone has partaken, the pastor will say and the congregation will respond:) As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord s death, Until He come. (The congregation gives the right hand of fellowship, signifying renewed dedication and unity of purpose in the service of Jesus Christ as the hymn below is sung:) +HYMN We Who Here Together Are Assembled T. COVENANT (185 A) [Hymn on page 207] We who here together are assembled, joining hearts and hands in one, bind ourselves, with love that s undissembled, Christ to love and serve alone. O may our imperfect songs and praises be well pleasing unto you, Lord Jesus. Say: My peace I leave with you. Amen, Amen, be it so. +HYMN Jesus, Source of My Salvation T. ZURICH (168 A) [Hymn 108, Moravian Hymnal, 1969] Jesus, source of my salvation, conqueror both of death and hell, thou who didst, as my oblation, feel what I deserved to feel, through thy sufferings, death, and merit, I eternal life inherit; thousand, thousand thanks to thee, dearest Lord, forever be. (The hymn continues on the next page.) 7

8 Lord, thy deep humiliation has atoned for all my pride; I need fear no condemnation, since for sinners thou has died. Thou becam st a curse, dear Savior, to restore me to God s favor; thousand, thousand thanks to thee, dearest Lord, forever be. Lord, I ll praise thee now and ever, who for me wast crucified; for thy agony, dear Savior, for thy wounds and pierced side, for thy love, so tried, unending, for thy death, all deaths transcending. For thy death and love divine, Lord, I ll be for ever thine. POSTLUDE Jesus, Source of My Salvation Brian Henkelmann (Moravian composer) BENEDICTION AND CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE In the Name of Jesus Moravian Liturgies (539 B) LENTEN MEDITATION Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Psalm 51:1-2 8

9 Calvary Moravian Church Ash Wednesday February 14, 2018 We welcome all members and guests to our service today on this Ash Wednesday. We are glad that you have come to worship at Calvary this evening. Please make a special effort to greet those around you in the spirit of Christian fellowship. During the prelude, you are invited to enter a spirit of reverence and quiet reflection as we prepare to worship the Lord. We kindly request that you silence all phones and pagers. Hearing aid devices are available from one of the ushers! We thank the Reverends Dallas W. Prestwood and Ramona C. Prestwood for assisting with worship leadership this evening. We exercise an open communion in the Moravian Church, meaning all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord are welcome at His Table. Gluten-free wafers are available from the pastors. Please indicate if you would like a glutenfree wafer when the pastor serves you. This coming Sunday, February 18, is the First Sunday in Lent. We will share in the Sacrament of Holy Communion at the 11:00 a.m. worship service. The Lenten Day of Prayer Services continue this week with a lovefeast this Sunday, February 18, at 2:00 p.m. at Christ Moravian Church. The Reverend Richard G. Sides will be the speaker. A complete schedule of Lenten Day of Prayer Services may be found on page 11 of this bulletin. 9

10 In the Western Church, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40-day period of fasting before Easter. On Ash Wednesday, ashes are blessed, mixed with either holy oil or water, and imposed on the head with the sign of the cross, or sprinkled on the forehead. The ashes are made from burning palm branches blessed the previous year on Palm Sunday. When the pastor imposes the ashes he says, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return" (see Genesis 3:19). The ashes serve a dual purpose. First, as the above words imply, we are reminded of our mortality and humanity as we begin the Lenten journey. Second, the ashes are a Biblical symbol of repentance, sorrow, and humility. There are many cases in the Scriptures of wearing ashes as a sign of penitence, often while wearing sackcloth. In 2 Samuel 13:19, Tamar puts on ashes and tears her clothes as a sign of sadness and repentance. In Esther 4:1-3, after learning of the king's decree to kill all Jews, Mordecai tears his garments and puts on sackcloth and ashes. His fellow Jews do the same thing, as well as beginning to fast. The prophet Jeremiah (6:26) urges his readers to "gird on sackcloth and roll in ashes." The silver communion ware set used this evening dates to the early years of Calvary Moravian when chalices were used for communion instead of individual cups. The flagon (large vessel for the juice) and the chalice match, with both inscribed with the symbol IHS taken from the first letters in the Greek name for Jesus. The patens (bread trays) currently used for our regular communion services are also a part of this original set. 10

11 2018 DAY OF PRAYER SERVICES Sunday, February 18 Christ Moravian Church Lovefeast 2:00 p.m. The Reverend Richard G. Sides, speaker Wednesday, February 21 Trinity Moravian Church Worship 11:00 a.m.; Luncheon 12 Noon Ms. Kaylen Hope Lanier, speaker Wednesday, February 28 Ardmore Moravian Church Coffee Hour 9:45 a.m.; Worship 12 Noon The Reverend Chaz Snider, speaker Wednesday, March 7 Calvary Moravian Church Worship 11:00 a.m. (Fellowship Hall) The Reverend Chaz Snider, speaker Wednesday, March 14 Fairview Moravian Church Worship/Holy Communion 11:00 a.m. The Reverend Donald Griffin, speaker Wednesday, March 21 Konnoak Hills Moravian Church Lovefeast 11:00 a.m. The Reverend Q. Ray Burke, speaker Palm Sunday March 25; Maundy Thursday March 29 Good Friday March 30; Great Sabbath March 31 Easter Sunday April 1 11

12 Calvary Moravian Church Church Office: address: Website: The Rt. Rev. Lane A. Sapp Pastor Mrs. Amanda Schumpert Director of Music and Christian Education Mr. Marc DeCoste Youth Director Mrs. Mary Louise Kapp Peeples Organist Mr. Paul F. Knouse, Jr. Administrative Assistant Ms. Sabrina Maksi Financial Secretary Mr. Brian C. Lott Band Director Mr. Richard L. Davis Facilities Manager Calvary Moravian Church Ash Wednesday February 14,