Lenten Reflections Worship Ash Wednesday + March 6, 2019 First Lutheran Church + Please enter in silence +
Lighting of the Candles Invocation Hymn... All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night All praise to thee, my God, this night For all the blessings of the light. Keep me, O keep me, King of kings, Beneath thine own almighty wings. Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son, The ill that I this day have done, That with the world, myself, and thee, I, ere I sleep, at peace may be. Teach me to live that I may dread The grave as little as my bed. Teach me to die that so I may Rise glorious at the awe-full day. Opening Litany Pastor: Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, on this day the Church begins a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection. Our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. From ancient times, the season of Lent has been kept as a time of special devotion, selfdenial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently on His Word and draws from it life and hope. Let us pray that our dear Father in heaven, for the sake of His beloved Son and in the power of His Holy Spirit, might richly bless this Lententide for us so that we may come to Easter with glad hearts and keep the feast in sincerity and truth. Pastor: O Lord, ALL: have mercy. Pastor: O Christ, ALL: have mercy. Pastor: O Lord, ALL: have mercy. Amen. After the fire has raged and the flames have died away and grown cold, nothing remains but ashes. We are dust, and to dust we shall return.
After the hot passion of sin, after the cool calculation of evil, all that remains is brokenness and ashes. We are dust, and to dust we shall return. After the zeal for living has ebbed away and life has run its course, there is nothing left but ashes. We are dust, and to dust we shall return. But ashes are not the end. This Lenten season begins in ashes, but it will not end in ashes. We begin in dust, but we shall end in resurrection glory. Enter this season, then, with confidence and with hope: ashes are not the end. Thanks be to God. Hymn... All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heav nly host: Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Imposition of Ashes Hymn... Just As I Am Just as I am, without one plea But that thy blood was shed for me And that thou bidd st me come to thee O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am and waiting not To rid my soul of one dark blot, To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt, Fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; Sight, riches, healing of the mind, Yea, all I need, in thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; Because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am; thy love unknown Has broken every barrier down; Now to be thine, yea, thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Hymn... Jesus, I Will Ponder Now Jesus, I will ponder now On your holy Passion; With your Spirit me endow For such meditation. Grant that I in love and faith May the image cherish Of your suffering, pain, and death That I may not perish. Make me see your great distress, Anguish, and affliction, Bonds and stripes and wretchedness And your crucifixion; Make me see how scourge and rod, Spear and nails did wound you, How you died for those, O god, Who with thorns had crowned you. Yet, O Lord, not thus alone Make me see your Passion; But its cause to me make known And its termination. For I also and my sin Brought your deep affliction; This the shameful cause has been Of your crucifixion. If my sins give me alarm And my conscience grieve me, Let your cross my fear disarm, Peace and pardon give me. Grant that I may trust in you And your holy Passion; If his Son forgives anew, God must have compassion. Jesus, Lord, my heart renew, Let me bear my crosses, Learning humbleness from you, Peace despite my losses. May I give you love for love! Hear me, O my Savior, That I may in heaven above Sing your praise forever. Passion Reading: The Lord s Supper Time for Silent Meditation Offering... In the Cross of Christ I Glory In the cross of Christ I glory, Towering over the wrecks of time. All the light of sacred story Gathers round its head sublime. When the woes of life overtake me, Hopes deceive, and fears annoy, Never shall the cross forsake me; Lo, it glows with peace and joy. When the sun of bliss is beaming Light and love upon my way, From the cross the radiance streaming Adds more luster to the day. Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure By the cross are sanctified; Peace is there that knows no measure, Joys that through all time abide.
+ The Service of Holy Communion + You shall have no other gods. THOUGHT Do I honor, love, or trust anyone or anything more than God? WORD Have I neglected my prayers, morning, night, and mealtimes? DEED Have I always placed God first and my own work and pleasures second? You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. THOUGHT Have I wished evil upon another for the wrong they have done me? WORD Has my conversation been mingled with profanity? DEED Have I consulted a fortuneteller, psychic, or divine healer? Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. THOUGHT Have I thought lightly of God s Word and His Sacraments? WORD Have I spoken unkindly of my church, pastor, teachers, brothers or sisters in Christ? DEED Have I permitted sleep, work, or pleasures to interfere with my attendance at public worship and Bible study? Honor your father and mother. THOUGHT Have I despised or thought evil toward my parents? WORD Have I purposely said things to anger my parents, neighbors, or employers? DEED Have I in any way been disobedient or disrespectful to parents or lawful authorities? You shall not murder. THOUGHT Do I secretly or openly hate anyone? WORD Am I continually quarreling, nagging, or teasing? DEED Am I doing all I can to defend and to sustain the life of those less fortunate than I? You shall not commit adultery. THOUGHT Have I indulged in immoral thoughts and lustful desires? WORD Do I delight in hearing or telling obscene stories and jokes? DEED Have I committed an unclean deed with another or alone? You shall not steal. THOUGHT Have I schemed or plotted to gain another s possessions for myself? WORD Have I misrepresented goods in selling or trading? DEED Do I rob God? Have I contributed regularly and generously to my church?
You shall not give false witness against your neighbor. THOUGHT Am I holding any grudges? WORD Is there anyone to whom I am purposely not speaking? DEED Have I listened to or spread gossip about someone? You shall not covet your neighbor s house. THOUGHT Am I jealous or envious of others? WORD Do I continually complain and grumble about how God has blessed me? DEED Have I tricked or cheated another out of his property or possessions? You shall not covet your neighbor s spouse, servants, possessions, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. THOUGHT Am I bored with family or friends? WORD Have I urged someone to be careless or unfaithful? DEED Have I tried to coax another s loyalty from my neighbor to myself? Confession & Absolution Pastor: Together as God s people, let us take refuge in His infinite mercy, seek His grace for the sake of Christ, our Savior, and say: God, be merciful to me, a sinner. ALL: Almighty God, have mercy on me, forgive my sins, and lead me to life everlasting. Amen. Pastor: Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, I announce to you that your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Lord s Prayer Our Father 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 and ever. Amen. Words of Institution
Hymn... Come to Calvary s Holy Mountain Come to Calvary s holy mountain, Sinners, ruined by the fall; Here a pure and healing fountain Flows for you, for me, for all, In a full perpetual tide, Opened when our Savior died. Come in sorrow and contrition, Wounded, impotent, and blind; Here the guilty, free remission, Here the troubled, peace many find. Your true health it will restore, So that you need thirst no more. Come with hurts and guilty and meanness, Come, however soiled within; From the most ingrained uncleanness, From pollution by your sin, Wash your robes and make them white; You shall walk with God in light. Take the life that lasts forever; Trust this soul renewing flood. God is faithful; God will never Break his covenant of blood, Signed when our Redeemer died, Sealed when he was glorified. Hymn... What a Friend We Have in Jesus (LSB 770) What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit; Oh, what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer! Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble any where? We should never be discouraged Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness Take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms he ll take and shield you; You will find a solace there.
Hymn... Chief of Sinners Though I Be Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me, Died that I might live on high, Lives that I might never die. As the branch is to the vine, I am his, and he is mine. Oh, the height of Jesus love, Higher than the heavens above, Deeper than the depths of sea, Lasting as eternity! Love that found me wondrous thought Found me when I sought him not. Only Jesus can impart Balm to heal the wounded heart, Peace that flows from sin forgiven, Joy that lifts the soul to heaven, Faith and hope to walk with God In the way that Enoch trod. Chief of sinners though I be, Christ is all in all to me; All my wants to him are known, All my sorrows are his own. He sustains the hidden life Safe with him from earthly strife. O my Savior, help afford By your spirit and your Word! When my wayward heart would stray, Keep me in the narrow way; Grace in time of need supply While I live and when I die. Benediction Hymn... Abide With Me Abide with me, fast falls the even tide. The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. I need thy presence every passing hour; What but thy grace can foil the tempter s power? Who like thy-self my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me. Come not in terrors, as the King of kings, But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings; Tears for all woes, a heart for ev ry plea. Come, Friend of sinner, thus abide with me.