Christ Church Worthing A service of Holy Communion with the Imposition of Ashes Ash Wednesday 6 th March 2019 12 noon Registered Charity no: 1152846 Parochial Church Council of Worthing, Christ Church Website: www.christchurchworthing.org.uk The Organ Voluntary at the end of the service today will be: Chorale Prelude Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein by Johann Pachelbel 1653-1706
Welcome The Greeting Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you All and also with you. HYMN 95 Forty days and forty nights Introduction Brothers and sisters in Christ, since early days Christians have observed with great devotion the time of our Lord s passion and resurrection and prepared for this by a season of penitence and fasting. By carefully keeping these days, Christians 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, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and selfdenial; and by reading and meditating on God s holy word. All Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us. Let us pray for grace to keep Lent faithfully. Silence is kept. Prayers of Penitence [Sit or kneel] The Liturgy of Penitence Self-examination and Confession Most merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we have sinned in thought, word and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
We have been deaf 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. We confess to you, Lord all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy and impatience of our lives. Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people. Our anger at our own frustration and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves. Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts and our dishonesty in daily life and work. Our negligence in prayer and worship and our failure to commend the faith that is in us. Accept our repentance, Lord for the wrongs we have done, for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty. All Accept our repentance, Lord. For all false judgements, for uncharitable thoughts towards our neighbours and for our prejudice and contempt towards those who differ from us. All Accept our repentance, Lord. For our waste and pollution of your creation and our lack of concern for those who come after us. All Accept our repentance, Lord. Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us. All Favourably hear us, for your mercy is great. Accomplish in us the work of your salvation, All that we may show your glory in the world. By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord, All bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.
Silence is kept. The 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 Saviour. All Amen. The president and people receive the imposition of ashes. At the imposition the minister says to each person Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ. During the imposition HYMN 495 Lead, kindly light will be sung. God our Father, the strength of all who put their trust in you, mercifully accept our prayers; and because, in our weakness, we can do nothing good without you, grant us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you, both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen. The Collect Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. All Amen. The Liturgy of the Word Epistle 2 Corinthians 5: 20b 6:10 At the end of the reading, the reader says This is the word of the Lord. All Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading Matthew 6: 1 6,16-21 When the Gospel is announced, the reader says Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to N. All Glory to you, O Lord. At the end This is the Gospel of the Lord. All Praise to you, O Christ. Sermon [Sit] after which, a short period of silence is kept The Creed [Stand] All We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession [Sit or kneel] at the end, a short period of silence is kept, and then: Merciful Father, All Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. The Peace [Stand] The peace of the Lord be always with you All and also with you. Let us offer one another a sign of peace. Preparation of the Table Offertory Hymn 97 - Lord Jesus, think on me The Lord be with you All and also with you. His Spirit is with us. Lift up your hearts. All We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All It is right to give thanks and praise. It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation; in your love you made us for yourself. When we turned away you did not reject us, but came to meet us in your Son. All You embraced us as your children and welcomed us to sit and eat with you. In Christ you shared our life that we might live in him and he in us. All He opened his arms of love upon the cross and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin. On the night he was betrayed, at supper with his friends he took bread, and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me. All Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his body is the bread of life.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, he gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins; do this in remembrance of me. All Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his blood is shed for all. As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory, send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son. All As we eat and drink these holy gifts make us one in Christ, our risen Lord. With your whole Church throughout the world we offer you this sacrifice of praise and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven: All Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. The Lord s Prayer - As our Saviour taught us, so we pray All 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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Breaking of the Bread We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. All Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
Giving of Communion Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper. All Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed. All are welcome to come to the table, please carry your service sheet if you wish to receive only a blessing'. Prayer after Communion [Remain sitting or kneeling] Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and also an example of godly life: give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive these his inestimable gifts, and also daily endeavour to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen Together we pray: All Father of all, 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 Dismissal [Stand] Hymn 582 Take up thy cross, the Saviour said Blessing Go in the peace of Christ. All Thanks be to God.