All silently gather. Any procession should be in silence.
CALL TOWORSHIP
Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Ps. 51:1–17
Let us return to the Lord.
God is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love.
Have mercy on us, O God,
according to your unfailing love.
Wash away our iniquity;
cleanse us from our sins.
The sacrifice acceptable to God
is a humble spirit.
A broken and contrite heart
God will not turn away.
"Even now," declares the Lord,
"return to me with all your heart."
With open hearts
we call upon the name of the Lord.
Let us worship God
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray.
After a brief silence, the following prayer may be said:
1 2 Year A B C
Gracious Almighty God, out of your love and mercy you breathed into dust the breath of life, creating us to serve you and neighbors.
You despise nothing you have made and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Call forth our prayers and acts of tenderness, and strengthen us to face our mortality, that we may reach with confidence for your mercy… Create in us new and contrite hearts, that truly repenting of our sins, and acknowledging our brokenness, we may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness; through your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. [208] Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Isa. 58:1–12; Ps. 51:1–17
O Lord, you are gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
You have called us to return to you with all our hearts.
Forgive us, for we have been slow to share with the poor,
but quick to point the finger and pass judgment.
Even when we do not withhold from those in need,
we hope for some reward or recognition
for doing only what we ought to have done.
Hide your face from our sins, O Lord, and blot out all our iniquities.
Do not cast us away from your presence,
and do not take away your Holy Spirit.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation, and sustain in us a willing spirit.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Let us pray.
After a brief silence, the following prayer for illumination may be said:
God our helper, by your Holy Spirit open our minds, that as the scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may be led into your truth and be taught your will, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
GOSPEL READING and REFLECTION Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21
INVITATION TO THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LENTEN DISCIPLINE
The following or similar words may be spoken:
Friends in Christ, every year at the time of the Christian Passover
we celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration and to renew our life in the paschal mystery. We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance, and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If ashes are used, the following may be said:
We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes.
This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,
and marks the penitence of this community.
The minister continues:
I invite you, therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent
by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting,
by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.
Let us bow before God, our Creator and Redeemer,
and confess our sin.
The people may kneel or bow down.
Silence is kept for reflection and self-examination.
PSALM 51 Psalm 51:1–17 is sung or said.
Psalm 51:1–17 Tone 7; PH 195, 196; PS 48
R
Change my heart, Oh God, make it ever true, Change my heart, Oh God, may I be like You
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin. R
3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment.
5 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother's womb. R
6 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
7 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
8 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities. R
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
12 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. R
13 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.
14 Deliver me from death, O God, *
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
O God of my salvation. R
15 Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
16 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, *
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
17 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. R
LITANY OF PENITENCE
Let us pray.
Holy and merciful God, we confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
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.
Have mercy on us, O God.
We have not listened 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.
Have mercy on us, O God.
We confess to you, O God, all our past unfaithfulness:
The pride, hypocrisy, and impatience in our lives,
we confess to you, O God.
Our self-indulgent appetites and ways and our exploitation of other people,
we confess to you, O God.
Our anger at our own frustration
and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
we confess to you, O God.
Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts,
and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
we confess to you, O God.
Our negligence in prayer and worship,
and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
we confess to you, O God.
Accept our repentance, O God, for the wrongs we have done.
For our neglect of human need and suffering
and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,
accept our repentance, O God.
For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors,
and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
accept our repentance, O God.
For our waste and pollution of your creation
and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
accept our repentance, O God.
Restore us, O God, and let your anger depart from us.
Favorably hear us, O God, for your mercy is great.
[209]
IMPOSITION OF ASHES Change My Heart, Oh God
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. May these ashes be for us a sign of our mortality and penitence, and a reminder that only by your gracious gift are we given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. [210]
Amen.
God of compassion, through your Son Jesus Christ you reconciled your people to yourself. Following his example of prayer and fasting, may we obey you with willing hearts and serve one another in holy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
[212]
Amen.
OFFERING, BLESSING AND CHARGE
An offering may be received. The minister gives God's blessing to the congregation.
1 Thess. 5:23
May the God of peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.
All quietly depart.
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