ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE Wednesday, February 18 th at 7:00 p.m.

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1 ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE Wednesday, February 18 th at 7:00 p.m. St. Paul s Lutheran Church 121 N. Pearl, PO Box 534 Havana, IL Pastor Kevin Wendorf

2 PSALMS OF THE PENITENT: ASH WEDNESDAY - February 18, 2015 What It Is to Be Penitent AS WE GATHER Psalm 6 shows us both aspects of penitence: despair over sin and trust in God s deliverance. David does despair of his sins, which are displayed in the Bible for all to read, but his faith is so firm that the last part of the psalm exudes confidence that God will have him triumph over his enemies, which included his own family and trusted friends. David hoped in God s promises without knowing all that his descendant Jesus would achieve. By the gracious gift of faith in Christ, we are able to Come to Calvary s Holy Mountain, where Jesus blood signed the covenant. In the words of today s hymn, the covenant was sealed when He was glorified. OPENING HYMN: Chief of Sinners Thought I Be #611 INVOCATION P: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. C: Amen. CONFESSION and ABSOLUTION PAGE 184 INTROIT Psalm 51:1 3, 10 12; antiphon: Psalm 51:17 Pastor: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! Pastor: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

3 Pastor: Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Pastor: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. PRAYER OF THE DAY Pastor: Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. People: Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; Pastor: through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. People: Amen. OLD TESTAMENT READING Psalm 6 1O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. 2Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. 3My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD how long? 4Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. 5For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? 6I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. 7My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes. 8Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping. 9The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer. 10All my enemies

4 shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. EPISTLE 2 Corinthians 5:20b 6:10 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2For he says, In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3We put no obstacle in anyone s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. VERSE Joel 2:13b Pastor: Return to the LORD, your God, People: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

5 HOLY GOSPEL Matthew 6:1 6, Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixth chapter. People: Glory to You, O Lord. 1[Jesus said:] Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6But when 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. 16[Jesus said:] And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to You, O Christ. SERMON HYMN: Savior, When in Dust to Thee #419 SERMON

6 CREED Nicene Creed (as found in the hymnal) PRAYER OF THE CHURCH OFFERING SACRAMENT Page 194 DISTRIBUTION HYMNS: Jesus, They Blood and Righteousness #563 I Lay My Sins on Jesus #606 In the Cross of Christ I Glory #427 BENEDICTION P: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace. C: Amen. CLOSING HYMN: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross #425 Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series B, Part 2. Copyright 2014 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.