Ash Wednesday Meditation
Below are some worship resources which you are welcome to use at no charge. Please just use a copyright acknowledgment "Copyright Lisa Frenz 2010. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission."
Music for Meditation
Please respect the wish of others to meditate or pray before service. Thank you.
(The Song is played quietly during the petitions)
▼ P: In the quiet of the night, in the comfort of darkness we come to you, O Lord. We come for peace; we come for comfort; we come for forgiveness and love.
Song "O Lord, Hear My Prayer" vs. 1
Tune Name: HEAR MY PRAYER
Text Source: Text: Psalm 102:1-2; adapt. Taize Community, 1982
Music Source: Music: Jacques Berthier, 1923-1994
Text: Psalm 102:1-2; adapt. Taizé Community, 1982(c) 1982, 1991 Les Presses de Taizé, admin. GIA Publications, Inc.
O Lord, hear my prayer, . . listen to me.
Silence
A: In the softness of evening, in the solace of silence we come to you, O Lord. We come for acceptance; we come for community; we come for forgiveness and love.
Song "O Lord, Hear My Prayer" vs. 1
Silence
P: In the serenity of day's end, in the restfulness of worship, we come to you O Lord. We come to you for respite; we come to you for completion; we come to you for forgiveness and love.
Song "O Lord, Hear My Prayer" vs. 1
Silence
A: In the quiet of the night, in the comfort of darkness we come to you, O Lord. We come for peace; we come for comfort; we come for forgiveness and love.
(Pause)
P: We come, O Lord of Light, seeking the illumination of your Word. We come for the path we can't find; we come for the life we don't have. We come to you for our lives are death and you alone have breath and being.
Imposition of Ashes
In your mercy you call us to the path or repentance.
You remind us in your Word that we are earth and dust.
But you promise to lift the poor from dust.
Come and receive the sign of repentance.
Song "O Lord, Hear My Prayer" vs. 1 & 2
(Sung during the Imposition of Ashes.)
.
Silence
(During the following the altar candles are lighted.)
▲ P: (spoken over music) O Christ Jesus, you are our Light, the bright star of our heart.
C: Shine on us, O Lord of Light. You are the glow that illumines our darkness and chases away our fears.
"Come"
Word and Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Copyright Permissions: W. Michael Aguilar III, © 2002, Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
PDF - accompaniment
JPG - Pew
Lord of all light, come, come. Lord of all light, come, come.
Come be here among us True glory be near us,
and we will sing praises forever!
Lord of all light, come, come. Come Lord of light!
P: (spoken over music) O Christ Jesus, you are our Lamp, the glow of truth, the underpinning of our existence.
C: Shine on us, O Lord of Light. You are the beacon of possibilities that lights our way and leads us to completion.
"Come"
Word and Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Copyright Permissions: W. Michael Aguilar III, © 2002, Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Lord of all light, come, come. Lord of all light, come, come.
Come be here among us True glory be near us,
and we will sing praises forever!
Lord of all light, come, come. Come Lord of light!
P: (spoken over music) O Christ Jesus, you are our Fire, the warmth of love in our soul.
C: Shine on us, O Lord of Light. You are the Blaze of passion that consumes our lives and brings us to rebirth.
"Come"
Word and Music: W. Michael Aguilar III
Copyright Permissions: W. Michael Aguilar III, © 2002, Shandy Music Industries, PO Box 10402, Portland, OR 97296.
Lord of all light, come, come. Lord of all light, come, come.
Come be here among us True glory be near us,
and we will sing praises forever!
Lord of all light, come, come. Come Lord of light!
God of all grace, come, come. God of all grace, come, come.
Your mercy will save us, salvation you'll bring us,
our voices will praise you forever!
God of all grace, come, come. Come God of grace.
Lord of all love, come, come. Lord of all love, come, come.
Embrace us, empower us, forgive us and heal us,
and keep us forever and ever!
Lord of all love, come, come. Come Lord of love.
Confession:
P: Out of the depths of our fears, out of the depths of our darkness, we call upon you, O God, to save us. Hear us, now.
Christ Jesus, you see our broken lives.
C: We reach out with greedy hands.
P: Christ Jesus, you heal our distorted desires.
C: Grabbing. Gathering. Foraging.
P: Christ Jesus, you fill our needy souls.
C: Never filled. Never having enough.
P: Christ Jesus, you ease our pains and sorrows.
C: Plundering. Ravaging. Destroying.
P: Christ Jesus, join us to yourself that we may never be greedy again.
A: Forgive us, O God.
C: For we have sinned.
A: Merciful God,
C: I confess that I am broken. I have acted in spite, hurt others by my words and deeds, deliberately done what is wrong. Forgive me, O God, for I have sinned.
A: Merciful God,
C: I confess that I am broken. I have lived for myself and not for others, judged where I should forgive, belittled where I should have built up. O Lord, I have not done justice or walked humbly with you. Forgive me, O God, for I have sinned.
P: Christ Jesus, complete us with yourself that we may live from your abundance:
C: Building. Caring. Creating. Giving. Receiving. Sharing.
P: God so loved this world and this people that God sent Christ to suffer and die for all. Accept now that gift. Know that you are forgiven, reconciled, accepted, and loved.
C: Amen.
▼ P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
Prayer of the Day:
A: Let us pray.
First Lesson: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
Silence
Psalm 51:1-17 (spoken)
A: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
C: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
A: You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
C: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
A: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
C: Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
A: Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
C: O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Silence
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10
Silence
▲ Gospel Lesson: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
▼ Silence
Message
Theme Song: Come Follow in the Path vs. 2 & 3
Tune: based on Los Bibilicos
Music: arr. Lisa Frenz
Words: Lisa Frenz
JPG - Pew
.Testimony of Faith:
Into the silence of the void the Creator spoke, and the world came into being. The Word of God in the vastness brought light from darkness, matter from nothing, flesh from dust, life from lifelessness.
In the quiet of a small town in Palestine the Word of God came to us. Even though of one being with the Creator, Jesus our Christ, taking on human form, was born, lived and walked among us, speaking the words of life. He was crucified, died, and was buried. He rose from the dead and speaks to us today. He is the one who saves us from ourselves.
In the stillness of our souls the Spirit of God, who is one with the Creator and the Christ, whispers the Word, and calls us back to the Creator, back to the Christ, back to the wholeness of everlasting life in the unity of the Creator, Christ and Spirit.
Offering/ Choir Anthem
Prayers of the Church
My Heart
Words and Music by Bart Hafeman, http://www.bartpro.com. "My Heart" by Bart Hafeman All rights reserved.
or another short, simple refrain
All you want is my heart
It's been that way from the start
In spite of all my attempts to please you,
Really all that you want is my heart.
P: Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
Silence
P: In the quiet of our souls, in the comfort of your love we come to you, O Lord. We come for help; we come for wholeness; we come for forgiveness and love. For in the death of Christ is our death. In the life of Christ is our salvation. We live and die with Christ, our Lord.
All: Amen.
Sending Song: When Twilight Comes
Tune Name: DAPIT HAPON
Text Source: Text: Moises Andrade, tr. James Minchin
Music Source: Music: Francisco Feliciano, b. 1941
Copyright Administrator: GIA/Christian Conference of Asia
When twilight comes adn sun sets . . . then renew tomorrow's song.
One day the Rabbi, Lord Jesus . . .before the coming night.
So gather round . . . embraced in the blessed Trinity.
A: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Postlude