Prelude
Welcome And Opening Prayer
Statement on Lent
Individual Confession Genesis 3, various verses from 8-19
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” And to the man he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, “You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Song I’m Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger
Communal Confession Jonah 3:1-9
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.”
Taize Reflection
Bless the Lord My Soul Taize
Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.
Intercessory Confession Daniel 9, various verses from 1-19
Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying,
“Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. Indeed, the Lord our God is right in all that he has done; for we have disobeyed his voice.
We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!”
Song Come down, O love divine!
Come down, O love divine! Seek out this soul of mine
and visit it with your own ardor glowing:
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
and kindle it, your holy flame bestowing.
O let it freely burn, till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let your glorious light shine ever on my sight,
and make my pathway clear, by your illuming.
Let holy charity my outward vesture be,
and lowliness become my inner clothing;
true lowliness of heart which takes the humbler part,
and for its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.
And so the yearning strong with which the soul will long
shall far surpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace till we become the place
in which the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.
Mystery of Human Misery Lamentations 3 various verses from 1-20
I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath; against me alone he turns his hand, he has made me sit in darkness, like the dead of long ago. though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; I have become the laughingstock of all my people, He has made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.
Reflection Mercy
Homily Hope Rests Within Ashes Pastor Margo Walter
Offertory
Imposition of Ashes
You are dust, and to dust you shall return
Taize Reflection Lord Hear our Prayer
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer;
When I call, answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
O Lord, hear my prayer.
Come and listen to me.
Pastoral Prayer/The 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Hymn Lord, who throughout these Forty Days
Lord, who throughout these forty days
for us didst fast and pray,
teach us with you to mourn our sins
and close by you to stay.
As you with Satan did contend,
and did the victory win,
O give us strength in you to fight,
in you to conquer sin.
As you did hunger and did thirst,
so teach us, gracious Lord,
to die to self, and so to live
by your most holy Word.
And thro’ these days of penitence,
and thro’ your Passiontide,
forevermore, in life and death,
O Lord, with us abide.
Abide with us, that through this life
of doubts and hope and pain,
an Easter of unending joy
we may at last attain!
Benediction
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