+ In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Greeting:
Grace, mercy and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you
and also with you.
Prayer of Preparation:
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect – Ash Wednesday
Holy God,
our lives are laid open before you:
Rescue us from the chaos of sin
and through the death of your Son
bring us healing and make us whole
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Readings:-
Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17
2 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand—
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
12 “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the LORD your God.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
16 Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the LORD,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?
2 Corinthians 5: 20b- 6:10
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
6 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favour I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.
3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonour, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
Matthew 6: 1-6,16-216
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Homily
After our prayers this morning, I will bless some ash and invite anyone who would like to, to come forward for what the church calls “The Imposition of Ashes”.
So, just a very few thoughts about that act.
The sign of the cross is very common in our Church services. Those priests with a higher view of churchmanship than mine make the sign of the cross to pronounce that our sins are forgiven after we have made a confession. And, again, the sign of the cross pronounces God’s blessing at the end of the service. Last Sunday I had a lovely time getting to know a family who are having their baby baptized this coming Sunday in Caston. During that service I will sign the baby with the sign of the Cross to show that she has passed from darkness to light. This morning we will emerge from Church with the cross of Baptism there visible on our foreheads for all to see. Today we begin a walk with Jesus which will take us through Lent to Holy Week and Easter and beyond. We walk not like babies who have an invisible mark of the Cross. We walk as adult disciples having made our own decision to accompany Jesus.
Then there’s the ash. I expect we have all been to a funeral service where we hear the words: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”. I have been a part of many such occasions where the Funeral Directors ceremoniously and dramatically throw soil into the grave on top of the coffin to symbolize a return to the earth and burial in the soil. The first man was created from the dust and returned to dust when his life was over. We have a finite amount of time to do the task God has assigned to us. Our gospel reading reminds us that we are to be humble and not think too highly of ourselves. We are told not to boast about the amount of time we spend in prayer or the amount of money we give to the poor. Those things are between ourselves and God. We all end up the same anyway. Rich or poor, saint or sinner, we all turn back to dust so trying to achieve positions of power in our own strength are pointless in the end.
The words I will use are: “Remember: you are dust and to dust you will return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ”. These are not words of condemnation like “just remember you are dust. Don’t think you are anything else” “For goodness sake, turn away from your sins before it’s too late and do what you are meant to do, be faithful to Christ”. No, that’s not it. We are urged to turn away not just from our own sin but to turn away from the sin of the world. Our baby will turn away from the sin of the world she has inherited and will be given a new sinless life. The sin of the clings to us as we go about our lives. It’s a bit like the covid virus which can be passed to us from someone who is infected. We carry the sin of the world until we come back to church and confess and the sin is forgiven. When I put the ash cross on your forehead, the words I use are facts of our lives in this world not an accusation of a poor spiritual state. The words at the graveside are: “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life”. One day we will all return to the earth but only then can we be part of the glorious resurrection of God’s people. Ash may seem a poor end to a life lived as best we can, following God and serving others but the ash is a reminder than like all living things, death leads to resurrection and something more beautiful than we have experienced so far.
The visible ash in the shape of the cross reminds us that our lives are not just here and now. God’s Son had a purpose on this earth and that was to teach his followers how to live as men and women born in God’s image. Eventually the sin he was fighting overwhelmed him and he died. But in his end was his beginning, as three days later the earth couldn’t hold him and he rose from the dead. His life was changed and eventually he ascended to be reunited with his Father. Our ash crosses give us hope of new lives with God where the sin of this world will be beaten for good.
Intercessions
In the power of the Spirit, let us pray to the Father, through Christ the Saviour of the world. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For forgiveness for the many times we have denied Jesus. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For grace to seek out those habits of sin which mean spiritual death, and by prayer and self-discipline to overcome them. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For Christian people, that through the suffering of disunity there may grow a rich union in Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For those who make laws, interpret them and administer them, that our common life may be ordered in justice and mercy. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For those who still make Jerusalem a battleground. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For those who have the courage and honesty to work openly for justice and peace. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For those in the darkness and agony of isolation, that they may find support and encouragement. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For those who, weighed down with hardship, failure or sorrow, feel that God is far from them. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
For those who are tempted to give up the way of the cross. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
That we, with those who have died in faith, may find mercy in the day of Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.
Lord have mercy.
Holy God
Holy and strong
Holy and immortal,
Have mercy upon us.
Merciful Father
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
In church today, it is customary to receive “The Imposition of Ashes.” The ash is traditionally made from last year’s Palm Crosses.
The priest says:
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. Amen
All are invited to come forward to receive a cross on their forehead. You could trace the cross on your forehead as you say these words which the priest says to each person:
+Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,
Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.
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. Amen
The Peace
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us access to his grace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass again 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.
Final Prayer:
Almighty God,
you have given you 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 inestimable gifts,
and also daily endeavour to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing:
Christ give you grace to grow in holiness, to deny yourselves, take up your cross,
and follow him;
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen