And maybe that's why God's people of old put ashes on their heads-to show that they were mortal and spiritually empty. Why ashes? When I clean out my fireplace, I get streaks of dirt on my hands, and the dead leftovers get put in the trash. Rend your hearts, and ask for forgiveness." Kneel down here, but only if your heart and spirit is submissive to the Lord.Īnd he relents from sending calamity.
to rend your garments and douse yourself with a bucket of ashes, but if it's only a ritual-don't bother. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."Īshes-Yes, but don't bother coming up if it's only a novelty, only a curious ritual, only a substitute. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. "Give ear, O God, and hear open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We have been wicked and rebelled we have turned away from your commands and laws. "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. But listen to these words from Scripture: Hymn: "Christ, the Life of All the Living" Choir only on stanza 2Īre you sure that you ought to come and have the ashes imposed on your forehead? My hunch is that for many of you it will be the first time, and that probably no more than one percent of Reformed and evangelical churches will conduct an Ash Wednesday service today. We will first apply the ashes to each other, and then we invite you to come forward. When we come to the part in the Order called "Imposition of Ashes," about ten of us will gather on the platform. Just a brief word of introduction about the service. Prelude and Silent Meditation: "Christ, Hie Life of All the Living" (see p. (Including Leader's Comments and Reflections) Our Approach to God We leave the service in confidence and gratitude: Christ has conquered death, and nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. But neither sin nor death are the final word. In Saipture, ashes serve both as a symbol of mortality and as a sign of mourning and repentance. During this time you are invited to come forward to receive the ashes on your forehead. The "imposition of ashes" is a central part of the service.
In the Ash Wednesday service we are reminded of our mortality, we confess our sins, and we experience forgiveness through Christ's death and resurrection. It marks the beginning of the season of Lent-a time of penitence, discipline, and renewal. Ash Wednesday is an ancient holy day in the Christian church calendar.
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