Ash Wednesday March 2, 2022

Today’s Theme for Worship: Crushed: Self-righteousness is crushed by repentance. After mankind fell into sin, people’s response to sin is to try to minimize it with a self-righteous attitude, essentially saying: “What I did isn’t as bad as what someone else did.” Lent reminds us that our hearts have to be reduced to ashes now in repentance.

There is no opening hymn.

Psalm 51B 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.

Imposition of Ashes

The minister applies ashes to the forehead of each in the form of a small cross.

After all who desire have received ashes, the minister says:

M: Accomplish in us, O God, the work of your salvation

C: That we may show forth your glory in the world.

M: By the cross and suffering of your Son, O Lord,

C: Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

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.

Adult Choir Lenten Meditation

First Reading 2 Samuel 12:1-13

12 So the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came and told him this:

There were two men in a city. One was rich and one poor. ²The rich man had a large number of flocks and herds. ³The poor man did not own anything except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He raised it so that it grew up together with him and his children. It ate from his food and drank from his cup. It slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. ⁴When a traveler came to the rich man, the rich man was unwilling to take an animal from his flock or from his herd to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. So he took the lamb from the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him.

⁵David’s anger flared up against that man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this is as good as dead. ⁶In place of that lamb, he will restore four lambs, because he did this and had no pity.”

⁷Nathan told David, “You are the man. This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.”

I anointed you king over Israel. I rescued you from the hand of Saul. ⁸I gave the house of your master to you, and I gave the wives of your master into your embrace. I gave you the house of Israel and the house of Judah. If this was too little, I would have added even more. ⁹Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in his eyes? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. You have taken his wife as your own wife. You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰So now the sword will not depart from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

¹¹This is what the Lord says. Look! I am raising up disaster against you from your own house. Right in front of your eyes I will take your wives and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie down with your wives in the sight of the sun. ¹²Because you acted in secret, I will do this in front of all Israel in broad daylight.

¹³David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan said to David, “The Lord himself has put away your sin. You will not die.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

²⁰Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, inasmuch as God is making an appeal through us. 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!

Gospel Luke 18:9-14

⁹Jesus 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. ¹¹The 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. ¹²I 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.”

Hymn of the Day: 650 From Depths of Woe, Lord God, I Cry

1. From depths of woe, Lord God, I cry; O hear my humble pleading!

Listen in mercy to my sigh, my prayer for rescue heeding!

Were you, O Lord, to fix your gaze on our rebellious, sinful ways,

then who could stand before you?

2. What we have done on our best day is flawed from its beginning;

only your grace can clear away the guilt of all our sinning.

Before you pride must disappear; each soul must live in rev’rent fear,

upon your grace relying.

3. Thus any merit of my own is void and unavailing;

I trust in God and God alone, he is my hope unfailing.

Since he is good, I soon will see the comfort he has promised me;

I wait for its arrival.

4. If it delays into the night or waits until tomorrow,

my heart will lean on God’s great might,

discarding doubt and sorrow. The Spirit of the Lord is near,

providing strength to persevere; depend on God to help you!

5. Although our sin is great indeed, the grace of God is greater;

no loss we suffer can exceed the help of our Creator.

Our shepherd good and true is he, who will at last his people free

from all their sin and sorrow.

Sermon: Matthew 26:18 I Will Observe the Passover

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 truly 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.

Prayer of the Church

Offering Prayer

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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 right to give him thanks and praise.

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 lived among us as a human being and revealed his glory as your only Son, full of grace and truth. Therefore, with all the saints on earth and hosts of heaven, we praise your holy name and join their glorious song:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of heavenly hosts: heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he, blessed is he, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We give thanks to you, O God, through your dear Son, Jesus Christ, whom you sent to be our Savior, our Redeemer, and the messenger of your grace. Through him you made all things; in him you are well pleased. He is the incarnate Word, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. To fulfill your promises, he stretched out his hands on the cross and released from eternal death all who believe in you.

As we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection, we thank you that you have gathered us together to receive your Son’s body and blood. Send us your Spirit, unite us as one, and strengthen our faith so that we may praise you in your Son, Jesus Christ. Through him, we glorify and honor you, O God our Father, with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,

 hallowed be your name,

 your kingdom come,

 your will be done

  on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

 as we forgive those

 who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

 and the glory are yours

 now and forever. Amen.

Words of Institution

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 T 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 T 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: Amen.

O Christ, Lamb of God

O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.

O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us your peace. Amen.

Distribution Hymn: 558 Salvation Unto Us Has Come

1. Salvation unto us has come

By God's free grace and favor.

Good works cannot avert our doom;

They help and save us never.

Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,

Who did for all the world atone;

He is the one Redeemer.

2. What God did in his law demand

And none to him can render,

caused wrath and woe on ev'ry hand

For man, the vile offender.

Our flesh has not those pure desires

The spirit of the law requires,

And lost is our condition.

3. It is a false, misleading dream

That God his law had given

That sinners could themselves redeem

And by their works gain heaven.

The law is but a mirror bright

To bring the inbred sin to light

That lurks within our nature.

4. From sin our flesh could not abstain,

sin held its sway unceasing;

the task was useless and in vain,

our guilt was e’er increasing.

None can remove sin’s poisoned dart

or purify our wicked heart,

so deep is our corruption.

5. Yet as the law must be fulfilled

Or we must die despairing,

Christ came and has God's anger stilled,

Our human nature sharing.

He has for us the law obeyed

And thus the Father's vengeance stayed

Which over us impended.

6. Since Christ has full atonement made

And brought to us salvation,

Each Christian therefore may be glad

And build on this foundation.

Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead;

Your death is now my life indeed,

For you have paid my ransom.

7. Let me not doubt, but truly see

your Word cannot be broken;

your call rings out, “Come unto me!”

No falsehood have you spoken.

Baptized into your precious name,

my faith cannot be put to shame,

and I shall never perish.

8. The law reveals the guilt of sin

and makes us conscience-stricken;

but then the gospel enters in

the sinful soul to quicken.

Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live;

the law no peace can ever give,

no comfort and no blessing.

9. Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone

and rests in him unceasing;

and by its fruits true faith is known,

with love and hope increasing.

For faith alone can justify;

works serve our neighbor and supply

the proof that faith is living.

10. All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise

To Father, Son, and Spirit,

The God who saved us by his grace

All glory to his merit!

O Triune God in heav'n above,

You have revealed your saving love;

Your blessed name be hallowed!

P: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

C: his mercy endures forever.

P: Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup,

C: we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

P: We give thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us with this saving gift. 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.

Amen.

Blessing

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 T give you peace.

Amen.

Closing Hymn 568 His Robes for Mine

1. His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!

Clothed in my sin,

Christ suffered ’neath God’s rage.

Draped in his righteousness, I’m justified.

In Christ I live, for in my place he died.

Refrain

I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:

Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.

Bought by such love, my life is not my own.

My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone.

2. His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread?

God’s daunting law Christ mastered in my stead.

Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine,

saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.

Refrain

I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:

Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.

Bought by such love, my life is not my own.

My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone.

3. His robes for mine: God’s justice is appeased.

Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.

Christ drank God’s wrath on sin,

then cried, “’Tis done!”

Sin’s wage is paid, propitiation won.

Refrain

I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:

Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.

Bought by such love, my life is not my own.

My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone.

4. His robes for mine: such anguish none can know.

Christ, God’s beloved,

condemned as though his foe.

He, as though I, accursed and left alone;

I, as though he, embraced and welcomed home!

Refrain

I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:

Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.

Bought by such love, my life is not my own.

My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone.

Acknowledgments

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version^®, NIV^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.^TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

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