Worship at Home: Ash Wednesday (February 17, 2021)

You can watch a recording of tonight’s service here.

If you are watching our live stream tonight, you are invited to find a candle, so that we can all light candles at the same time. You are also invited to participate in tonight’s service by having some paper and something to write with and a way to get your hands dirty—whether that’s with dry ashes from a fireplace, a burnt cork, some dark eyeshadow, a stick of charcoal, a bowl of dirt, fingerpaint, or anything else.

Welcome

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first night of a season that will lead us on a journey to the cross. Every year, we embark on this journey together, and this year is no different, no matter where we are tonight. Lent is part of the rhythm of the church year: Christ comes and we rejoice, but soon enough, we sin and turn away from God. Christ comes again, rising from the dead, and we rejoice again, but then, again, we sin and turn away from God. The pattern is as sure and steady as our own heartbeat, but again and again, God offers us more love and grace than we know what to do with. In this season of separation and uncertainty, it is reassuring to know that there is something in this universe that will never change. As we come together tonight, I invite you to gather together a candle and something to light it with, some paper and something to write with, and a way to get your hands dirty—whether that’s with dry ashes from a fireplace, a burnt cork, some dark eyeshadow, a stick of charcoal, a bowl of dirt, fingerpaint, or something else.

CALL TO WORSHIP (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art, LLC)

One: We are invited—
All: Into the story,
Into this place,
Into this hour of worship.
One: We are invited—
All: Into reflection,
Into community,
Into our own spiritual journeys.
One: We are invited—
All: The broken and bruised,
The hopeful, the new,
The faithful, the doubting,
The wondering, the waiting.
One: We are invited—
All: Because God so loved;
One: So listen, trust the invitation, and bring your whole self.
All: All are invited here.

GATHERING PRAYER (BOOK OF COMMON WORSHIP)

Almighty God, you despise nothing you have made and you forgive the sins of all who trust in you. Create in us new and contrite hearts, that truly repenting of our sins, and acknowledging our brokenness, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

GATHERING RITUAL

If you have a candle handy, I invite you to light it now, as I light mine.
Its flame reminds us of the light of Christ.
Its smoke and ashes remind us that we are dust, and will return to dust.
The ritual reminds us of the community we belong to, no matter where we are:
Again and again, we are brought together.
Again and again, we are called by God.
Again and again, we are invited in.

PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art)

Creator God,
There is a rumbling in us that won’t let go.
It stirs in us like the wind stirs leaves—inviting us to move, drawing us forth.
When we’re quiet, we know that rumble is the Holy Spirit,
Dancing love awake in us.
So we’re here.
And we’re still.
And we’re quiet.
And on this first day of Lent, we’re asking you to draw near.
As we hear your scripture read aloud, open the door for us to move.
Invite us in. Rumble us awake.
Gratefully we pray, Amen.

FIRST SCRIPTURE READING

Isaiah 58:6-12

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and I, the Lord, will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.

Hymn “Lord of All Hopefulness”

words by Jan Struther
© 1931 Oxford University Press
music by David Schwoebel
© 2008 Celebrating Grace, Inc.
Used by Permission. CCLI License #3456351

1. Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

2. Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

3. Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

4. Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

GOSPEL READING

Matthew 6:1-15

‘Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

‘Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

• After deep self-reflection, what acts of stewardship, prayer, or allyship do you realize you do for show, for approval, or simply out of rote habit? How could those practices, instead, invite you into fuller ways of being?

• What rhythms, practices, or intentions are you committing to this Lenten season?

• Scholar of biblical interpretation, Dr. Obery M. Hendricks Jr., asserts: “In fact, there are no individual petitions anywhere in the Lord’s Prayer; it is always ‘our’ or ‘us’ or ‘we.’ In this way Jesus makes certain to focus the disciples’ gaze not on their personal needs and circumstances, but on the plight of their people.” How does this ancient prayer shape us into more faithful disciples today?

Third scripture reading

Psalm 51:1-10, 15-17

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
in your great compassion, blot out my offenses.
Wash me through and through from my wickedness,
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my offenses,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so you are justified when you speak
and right in your judgement.
Indeed, I was born steeped in wickedness,
a sinner from my mother’s womb.

Indeed, you delight in truth deep within me;
and would have me know wisdom deep within.
Remove my sins with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be purer than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my wickedness.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.

O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For you take no delight in sacrifice, or I would give it.
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit;
a troubled and broken heart, O God, you will not despise.

CALL TO CONFESSION (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art) 

Ash Wednesday is a special day because it marks the start of something new. We are standing at the door of a journey into deeper faith, and God is inviting us in. However, we know that we cannot grow deeper and be transformed without God’s help. So as we begin this season, we confess together, asking for God’s participation in this new beginning. We are asking God to hold open the door.

Please join with me in our unison prayer of confession, followed by a time for silent personal confession. I also encourage you to write a confession down, because Lent is a season in which we should be honest with God and honest with ourselves.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art)

One: Holy God—
We know that you are near,
For you are always here, gathered among us, just a breath away.
And despite knowing your nearness, we still stumble over ourselves, unsure of how to pray.
All: Bring our hearts into the room.
One: So often we talk to you like a stranger,
Praying prayers of small talk about the weather and surface level concerns.
We keep genuine fear and doubt tucked into corners, out of sight, out of mind.
All: Bring our hearts into the room.
One: And so often we try to think our way to you,
As if we could use logic or our minds alone to explain your great unknown.
We forget what we knew as children; we forget how to feel our way to you.
All: Bring our hearts into the room.
One: And too regularly, we limit our experience of you to one hour a Sunday,
Missing your constant invitation into the holiness all around us.
Forgive us. Guide us.
All: Bring our hearts into the room.
One: We are here, God. We want to begin again.
All: Bring our hearts into the room. Amen.

Moment of silent prayer–people of God, what do you confess this week? 

INVITATION TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY

In the beginning, there was a garden, and God knelt there and played in the dirt, forming plants and animals and people out of mud. God smiled and said, “You are good. You are very good. I will love you forever, no matter what.” For a while, we were happy in that garden, but because God’s gift of free will is both a blessing and a curse, we soon realized that to be human is to hurt each other. And God said to us, “You are dust, and to dust you will return, but I will always be there beside you.”

On this day, we often mark our foreheads with ashes as a reminder that we will die and return to the earth, because the fact that we will die is the reason why what we do today and throughout our lives matters. We don’t have all the time in the world. We have our own lifetimes, finite as they are, before we return to dust, before we return to God. 

Traditionally, the ashes come from drying and burning the branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, as a reminder of the cycle of welcoming Christ and then falling away. The ashes are then mixed with oil to form a paste. 

Very important public safety announcement: if you are playing with ashes at home, do not mix them with water. Mixing ashes with water creates lye and lye will burn your skin. If you are playing with ashes at home, please touch them as they are, or mix them with oil. Do not mix ashes with water. The ashes are a reminder that we will die, but our lives are full enough of hurt and pain without causing chemical burns to our skin.

At this point in the service, I would like to invite you to get your hands dirty. Draw a picture in charcoal. Put your hands in a bowl of dirt and focus on the feel of it. Extinguish your candle, let it cool, and then rub the wick between your fingertips. Use eyeshadow to trace out the shape of a cross on your palm.

There is a long tradition of beginning our Lenten journey with the sign of ashes. Throughout this season, we confess our sins, and we try to do better, and remember that change and repentance are important, because one day, we will return to dust. It can be hard work, but it is holy work, recognizing and admitting that we need God’s forgiveness to wash us clean.

It is said that sacraments, like baptism, are visible signs of invisible grace, reminding us of the abundant blessings that God showers on us. Sometimes, we need to look at visible signs of invisible sin and pain because sometimes, it can be all too easy to ignore what we can’t see, even when it’s right in front of us, smudging everything we touch.

And so we pray: Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. May our ashes and dirty hands be for us a sign of our mortality and penitence, for it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Peoples, remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

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.

Taize music   O Lord, Hear my Prayer

Tune: Jacques Berthier, © 1982, Les Presses de Taizé, GIA Publications, Inc., agent Text: Taizé Community, © 1982, Les Presses de Taizé, GIA Publications, Inc., agent
Used with permission under ONE LICENSE # 738214-A

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!

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (written by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art)

We believe in an inviting God
Who invites the poor and the sick,
The outcast and the lonely,
The immigrant and the refugee,
The awkward and the abrasive,
The young and the innocent.
We believe God invites the best and the worst—
In all of us.
We believe God invites us to:
A life of faith,
A crowded table,
A messy church,
A deeper truth,
A resilient joy,
A place to belong,
A family among strangers,
A world that is just,
And a love that knows no bounds.
We believe this invitation exists for all people.
We believe this invitation exists for us.
And when we miss the call or ignore the invite,
We believe that God invites us again.
Thanks be to God for that invitational Spirit. Amen.

HYMN    Beautiful Things

words and music by Lisa Gungor and Michael Gungor
© 2009 Worshiptogether.com songs (Admin Capitol CMG Publishing)
Used by Permission. CCLI License #3456351

Blessing and Grace (adapted from a benediction by Sarah Are for A Sanctified Art)