A Convergence Ash Wednesday Service

The service below is intended for use by those communities that bring together traditional and contemporary worship styles.

The church should be stripped of extra decorations, leaving a very stark and solemn place of assembly. Except for standard linens, paraments, and frontals, the front of the sanctuary should look quite colorless. Banners may be removed or replaced by ones conveying the seriousness of the event. Each person must be given a blank piece of paper and a pencil as they enter the sanctuary. ACTS OF ENTRANCE Preparation Commentary: People should enter the sanctuary in silence. If necessary, you can post a sign in the foyer indicating that this is a time of solemn and silent examination. No background music should be used. Processional Commentary: The processional, if any, should also be in silence. The ministers enter and either kneel at the railing or are seated for a time of personal reflection and prayer. Summary of the Law Hear the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and will all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." MINISTRY OF THE WORD Collect Let us pray: Almighty and Everliving God, who, through your Son Jesus Christ, provided a way of redemption for all who repent and turn from sin: Create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast and willing spirit, that we, acknowledging our sinfulness, may live an upright and holy life by the power of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, world without end. Amen. Readings Commentary: Immediately after the collect, the readings are offered: First Reading: Joel 2:1–2; 12–17a Psalm 103 Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:10 Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21 Message Commentary: A short message of challenge may be given, emphasizing our need to examine our lives for sin and sloppy living, and to repent and turn to Christ. MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION Invitation to Observance Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Since the beginning of the church, Christians have always observed the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection with great devotion. It became one of the great traditions of the church to prepare for these events through serious examination of our spiritual lives through prayer, repentance, and fasting. Converts to the faith were prepared for baptism during Lent. Those who were separated from the church through serious sin were reconciled and restored to fellowship. The body of Christ was challenged to seek pardon and absolution for those areas where sin had found a place, to find reconciliation with God and with each other and to renew their repentance and faith. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Lord and His church, to observe a holy Lent, by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and sacrificial giving; to further your discipline of reading and meditating on the Word of God, and to make a right beginning to walk in newness of life. Therefore, I invite you to kneel (bow) before the Lord, our Creator and Redeemer. Rite of Confession Commentary: Using 1 John 1:9 as a text, invite the people to pray and ask God to reveal areas of sin and weakness. You instruct the people to write on the blank sheet of paper what God reveals. The papers are folded and placed in a receptacle in the front of the church and burned. Ashes from palm branches of the previous year's Palm Sunday are then mixed in with the ashes of the paper. As the papers burn, the minister can explain that just as the list of sins has been consumed never to return, so the Lord has forgiven us and removed our sins from us according to 1 John 1:9. Prayer of Thanksgiving Almighty God, you created us out of the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (From the Book of Common Prayer) Imposition of Ashes Commentary: This can be optional. While the imposition of ashes dates back to the eleventh century, more recent liturgies make this optional, referencing Jesus' words in Matthew 6:16–18 concerning penitence. Should the imposition of ashes be done, the following words can be used. (Name), Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Repent and believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The minister may want to explain that the ashes are seen as a symbol of sorrow and repentance for sin. They are a sign of intention to die to the old ways and live a new life for Christ. Psalm of Repentance Commentary: The text of Psalm 51 is then read corporately. Additional prayers and litanies may be offered (for example, the Litany of Penitence in the Book of Common Prayer, p. 267). If there are those who are being reconciled to the church or to other persons, they can be brought forward at this time for special prayer. Also, those who have committed their lives to Jesus Christ in recent months and have not made a public profession of faith may come forward for prayer. Absolution Commentary: At this point, the minister addresses the people and says, with joy: "In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!" The people respond in kind by saying the same words to the minister: "In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!" Then the people turn to one another and greet each other saying: "In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!" The minister concludes by saving, "Rejoicing in the fellowship of all the saints, let us commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ our Lord. To you, O Lord." Prayers of the People Commentary: This is a special time of ministry of intercession for those who are still walking without Christ, whether friends, loved ones, unreached peoples, etc; those who have chosen to walk away from Christ and his church; and those who need a fresh touch from the Lord. The ministers may want to invite people with special needs to come forward and ministry teams may, during this time, pray for healing, deliverance, restoration, etc. The minister and/or the people then offer prayers of thanksgiving and praise for the grace and mercy of the Lord. The Peace Commentary: As ministry ends, the people can exchange signs of peace and love with one another. Praise and Worship Commentary: This is the first music of the service. Usually a short time of worship with a hymn and choruses sung a cappella or with piano, acoustic guitar, etc. One good hymn to use is "Lord, Who throughout These Forty Days." MINISTRY OF THE TABLE AND/OR DISMISSAL Holy Communion Commentary: The service may continue with Holy Communion if so desired, following a standard form. Observe silence during communion to express the sober nature of the memory observed. Benediction Leader: Go in peace to live for Christ, to serve him alone and to walk in holiness and righteousness all your days, through the grace of our Lord and the power of his Holy Spirit. People: Thanks be to God!