Ash Wednesday Prayer, 17 Feb 2021

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made,
and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting
our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of
you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

“Return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
(Joel 2:12-13a)

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OT Reading: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Isaiah 58:1-12 (ESV)

The Day of the Lord

2 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
nor will be again after them
through the years of all generations.

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Return to the Lord

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
16 gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.

17 Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

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Psalms: Psalm 51 (Wisdom in the Secret Heart) – Shane & Shane

Behold I was brought forth in iniquity
And in sin did my mother conceive me
Behold you delight in the truth and the inward me
And you teach me, wisdom in the secret heart

Our sins not far but right in front of me
Against you and you alone God I am guilty
Wash me thoroughly cleanse me from iniquity
And teach me, wisdom in the secret heart

Create in me a clean heart, oh God
Renew a right spirit within me, oh God
Cast me not away from Your presence
Take not Your Holy Spirit
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation
And teach me, wisdom in the secret heart

Send me the chief of sinners to proclaim
Come be forgiven the sin of the lamb of God was slain
Open my lips and my mouth will declare your endless praise
And teach me, wisdom in the secret heart

Create in me a clean heart, oh God
Renew a right spirit within me, oh God
Cast me not away from Your presence
Take not Your Holy Spirit
Restore in me the joy of Your salvation
And teach me, wisdom in the secret heart
Wisdom in the secret heart

The Lord is gracious
And slow to anger
Rich in love, He is good to all
Good to all

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NT Reading:  Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 (ESV)

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when 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.

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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Lord, Have Mercy – Sovereign Grace Music

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Prayer:

Lord, have mercy upon us: 

• • For all our unfaithfulness and disobedience; for the pride, vanity, and hypocrisy of our lives….
  • For our self-pity and impatience, and our envy of those we think more fortunate than ourselves….
  • For our unrighteous anger, bitterness, and resentment; for all lies, gossip, and slander against our neighbors….
  • For our sexual impurity, our exploitation of other people, and our failure to give of ourselves in love….
  • For our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our intemperate pursuit of worldly goods and comforts.
  • For our dishonesty in daily life and work, our ingratitude for your gifts, and our failure to heed your call….
  • For our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty….
  • For our wastefulness and misuse of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us….
  • For all false judgments, for prejudice and contempt of others, and for all uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors….
  • For our negligence in prayer and worship; for our presumption and abuse of your means of grace….
  • For seeking the praise of others rather than your approval….
  • For our failure to commend the faith that is in us….

Lord, have mercy upon us: For we have sinned against you.

+ Show favor to your people, O Lord, who turn to you in weeping, fasting, and prayer. For you are a merciful God, full of compassion, long-suffering, and abounding in steadfast love. You spare when we deserve punishment, and in your wrath you remember mercy. Spare your people, good Lord, spare us;
in the multitude of your mercies, look upon us and forgive us; through the merits and mediation of your blessed Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ May Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Closing: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-21 (ESV)

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.