Ash Wednesday February 17, 2021
Today’s
Theme for Worship:
Ash Wednesday is a
day of repentance. Outward observances and customs are fine, but they are all
empty without a broken and repentant heart.
There is no
opening hymn.
Psalm
51 Special Music
Silence
for meditation
Instruction
for the Beginning of Lent
M: Brothers and
sisters in Christ, God created us to know joy in communion with him, to love
all humanity, and to live in harmony with all creation. But sin separates us
from God, our neighbors, and creation, and so we do not enjoy the life our
Creator intended for us. By our sin we grieve our Father, who does not desire
us to come under his judgment but to turn to him and live. Therefore, God in
his mercy has sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take our place under the law, to
suffer for us, and to die the death we deserve. God made Jesus, who had no sin,
to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.
During the 40 days of Lent, we fix our eyes
on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.
The time of Lent reminds us that to know Christ and the power of his
resurrection, we must also know the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are called
to struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and
neighbor.
I
invite you, therefore, to confess your sins, ask our Father for forgiveness,
and commit yourselves to this struggle. Let us be silent. Let us be still. Let
us pause now for a time of reflection and self-examination.
Silence
for reflection and self-examination
Confession
of Sins
M: Most holy and
merciful Father,
C: We confess to you and to one another that we
have sinned by our own fault, by our own grievous fault in thought, word, and
deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
M: We have not loved
you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors
as ourselves. We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven.
C: Have mercy on us, Lord.
M: 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 the Holy Spirit.
C: Have mercy on us, Lord.
M: We confess to
you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness. The pride, hypocrisy, and impatience in
our lives
C: We confess to you, O Lord.
M: Our
self-indulgent appetites and ways, our manipulation of other people
C: We confess to you, O Lord.
M: Our anger when
our selfish aims are denied and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves
C:
We confess to you, O Lord.
M: Our love of
worldly goods and comforts and our dishonesty in daily life and work
C:
We confess to you, O Lord.
M: Our negligence in
worship and prayer and our failure to show the faith that is in us
C:
We confess to you, O Lord.
M: Forgive us, Lord,
for the wrongs we have done. For our blindness to human need and suffering and
our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
C: Forgive us, O Lord.
M: For all false
judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward others, and for our prejudice and
contempt for those who differ from us,
C: Forgive us, O Lord.
M: For what we think
or say or do that is at variance with your will,
C: Forgive us, O Lord.
M: Restore us, good
Lord, and let your anger depart from us.
C: Hear us, Lord, for your mercy is great.
Absolution
M: Almighty God, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not desire the death of sinners but
rather that they turn from their wickedness and live.
Therefore, I forgive you all your
sins in the name of the Father and of the Son † and of the Holy Spirit.
During
these days of Lent, let us implore God to give us renewal and his Holy Spirit.
May we continue to abide in the true faith and at the last be received by him
through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen.
Hymn: 303 With Broken Heart and Contrite Sigh
1
With
broken heart and contrite sigh, A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry.
Your
pard’ning grace is rich and free-O God, be merciful
to me!
2 I smite upon my
troubled breast, With deep and conscious guilt oppressed,
Christ
and his cross my only plea-O God, be merciful to me!
3
Far
off I stand with tearful eyes Nor dare uplift them to the skies,
But
you can all my anguish see-O God, be merciful to me!
4
No
gifts, no deeds that I have done Can for a single sin atone.
To
Calvary alone I flee-O God, be merciful to me!
5
And
when, redeemed from sin and hell, With all the ransomed souls I dwell,
My
joyous song shall ever be: God has been merciful to me!
Text:
Cornelius Elven, 1791-1873, alt.
First Lesson: Isaiah 59:12-20
The
Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins.
12 Yes, our rebellious deeds are many before you, and our sins
testify against us. Our rebellious deeds are with us, and as for our guilty
deeds, we are aware of them.
13 Those deeds are rebellion and treachery against the Lord. We
turn back from following our God. We incite oppression and apostasy. We
conceive and mutter deceitful words from our hearts.
14 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away, for
truth stumbles in the city square, and honesty cannot enter it.15 The
truth is missing, and anyone who turns from evil makes himself prey.
The Lord looked and saw something
evil—there was no justice.16 He saw that there was no one. He
was appalled that there was no one who could intervene.
So his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own
righteousness supported him.17 He clothed himself with
righteousness like armor and wore a helmet of salvation on his head.
He dressed in garments for
vengeance, and he wrapped himself with zeal like a cloak.18 He
will repay in full what they have earned, namely, wrath to his foes and full
payment to his enemies.
He will repay even the distant
coastlands.19 From the west they will fear the Lord’s name, and
from the rising of the sun they will fear his glory, for he will come like a
raging river, driven by the Spirit of the Lord.
20 Then a redeemer will come
for Zion and for those in Jacob who turn from rebellion. This is the
declaration of the Lord.
Second Lesson: 2 Corthinians 5:20b-6:22
If
we continue to live in sin, it will destroy the message of Christ's peace we
bear and destroy our effectiveness as Christ's ambassadors.
We urge you, on Christ’s behalf: Be
reconciled to God. 21 God made him, who did not know sin, to become
sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
6:1 As fellow workers we also urge you not to receive God’s
grace in vain. 2 For he says: At a favorable time
I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. Look, now is the
favorable time! See, now is the day of salvation!
Hymn of the Day: 385 Chief of Sinners Though I
Be
1
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!
2
Oh,
the height of Jesus’ love, Higher than the heav’ns
above,
Deeper
than the depths of sea, Lasting as eternity,
Love
that found me-wondrous thought!-Found me when I sought
him not.
3
Only
Jesus can impart Comfort to a wounded heart:
Peace
that flows from sin forgiv’n, Joy that lifts the soul
to heav’n,
Faith
and hope to walk with God In the way that Enoch trod.
4
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.
Safe
with him in earthly strife, I await the heav’nly
life.
5
Strengthen
me, O gracious Lord, 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.
Text:
William McComb, 1793-c. 1870, alt.
Sermon: Luke 18:9-14 Hands of Repentance (Tax Collector)
9 Jesus told this parable to certain people who trusted in
themselves (that they were righteous) and looked down on others: 10 “Two
men went up to the temple courts to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was
a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself
like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers,
evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I
fast twice a week. I give a tenth of all my income.’
13 “However the tax collector stood at a distance and would not
even lift his eyes up to heaven, but was beating his chest and saying, ‘God, be
merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 “I tell you, this man went home justified rather than the
other, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who
humbles himself will be exalted.”
Nicene Creed
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 of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and became fully human. 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 in unity with
the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the
prophets. We believe in one holy
Christian 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.
Offering Prayer
Electronic Giving! You can give your
offerings from your smartphone with the GivePlusChurch
app, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play or the App Store. You can
also give at holytrinitylutheranwyoming.com by clicking the Offerings link at
the top of the page or scan the QR code below. If you have any questions
about any of these options, please contact Dave Conrad at dconrad765@gmail.com
or 616-406-7172
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
The Sacrament
P: The Lord be with you.
C: ♬ And also with
you.
P: Lift up your
hearts.
C: ♬ We lift them up
to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: ♬ It is good and
right so to do.
P: It is truly good and right that we should at all times and in all places give you thanks, O
Lord, holy Father, almighty and everlasting God, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who brought the gift of salvation to all people by his death on the tree of the
cross, so that the devil, who overcame us by a tree would in turn by a tree be
overcome. Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we
praise your holy name and join their glorious song:
♬ Holy, Holy, Holy
Ho-ly, ho-ly, ho-ly Lord God of heav-en-ly hosts:
heav'n and earth are
full of your glo-ry.
Ho-san-na,
ho-san-na, ho-san-na in the
high-est.
Bless-ed is he, bless-ed is he,
bless-ed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord.
Ho-san-na,
ho-san-na, ho-san-na in the
high-est.
Words of Institution
P: Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he
was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it
to his disciples, saying “Take and eat; this is my body, which is given for
you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and
gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you; this is my blood of the new
covenant, which is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this,
whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
P: The peace of the Lord be with you
always.
C: ♬ A-men.
♬ O Christ, Lamb Of God
O Christ, Lamb of God,
you take a-way the sin of the world;
have mer-cy on
us.
O Christ, Lamb of God,
you take a-way the sin of the world;
have mer-cy on
us.
O Christ, Lamb of God,
you take a-way the sin of the world;
grant us your peace. A-men.
Song of Simeon
Lord, now you let your servant de-part in
peace
ac-cord-ing to
your word.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have pre-pared be-fore the face
of all people,
a light to light-en
the Gen-tiles
and the glo-ry
of your peo-ple Is-ra-el.
P: O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is
good.
C: And his mercy endures forever.
Prayer and Blessing
P: We give thanks, almighty God, that you
have refreshed us with this holy supper. We pray that through it you will
strengthen our faith in you and increase our love for one another. We ask this
in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
OR
P: O God the Father, source of all
goodness, in your loving-kindness you sent your Son to share our humanity. We
thank you that through him you have given us pardon and peace in this
Sacrament. We also pray that you will not forsake us but will rule our hearts
and minds by your Holy Spirit so that we willingly serve you day after day,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: A-men.
P: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be
gracious to you.
The Lord look on you with favor and + give
you peace.
C: A-men. A-men. A-men.
Closing
Hymn 316 O Jesus, Blessed Lord, to Thee
1 O Jesus, blessed
Lord, to thee
My
heartfelt thanks forever be,
Who
hast so lovingly bestowed
On
me thy body and thy blood.
2
Break
forth, my soul, for joy and say:
What
wealth is come to me this day!
My
Savior dwells within my heart-
How
blest am I! How good thou art!
Text: Thomas H. Kingo, 1634-1703; tr. Arthur J. Mason, 1851-1928.