Saturday after Ash Wednesday; 20 Feb 2021 – Psalm 25:1-10; Psalm 32; Matthew 9:2-13 ~ Show mercy to sinners.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday; 20 Feb 2021

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

Opening:

Out of your power and compassion, O God,
you sent your Son into our afflicted world
to proclaim the day of salvation.
Heal the brokenhearted, bind up our wounds.
Bring us health of body and spirit
and raise us to new life in your service.
We pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.

Jesus said… “Go and learn what this means:
‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’
For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
(Matthew 9:13)

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Psalms: Psalm 25 (Responsorial)
Music: Alejandro D. Consolacion II
Cantor: Charry May Balboa

R: Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

4 Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.

R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

6 Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
7 In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.

R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

8 Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
9 He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.

R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

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OT Reading: Psalm 32 – “Happy The Man Whose Transgressions Are Forgiven” by Karl Kohlhase. [The song of all prodigal sons and daughters who seek and find release from their guilt and shame through the tender mercies of God in Christ.]

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NT Reading: Matthew 9:2-13 (ESV)

And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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Zach Williams – “Rescue Story”

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Prayer:

+ O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your only-begotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

+ Christ as a light, illumine and guide us. Christ as a shield, overshadow us. Christ under us; Christ over us; Christ beside us on our left and our right. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom we speak; in the mouth of each who speaks to us. This day be within and without us, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside us on our left and our right.

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Blessing

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with us, wherever He may send us.
May He guide us through the wilderness, protect us through the storm.
May He bring us home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown us.
May He bring us home rejoicing once again into our doors.

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

Friday after Ash Wednesday; 19 Feb 2021 – Psalm 25:1-10; Daniel 9:15-25a; 2 Timothy 4:1-5 ~ Preach the Word.

Friday after Ash Wednesday; 19 Feb 2021

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

Opening:

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
(2 Timothy 4:2)

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Psalms: Psalm 25, To You I Lift Up My Soul – Karl Kohlhase

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OT Reading: Daniel 9:15-25 (ESV)

And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Daniel 9:16-19 Song (NKJV)”O LORD, Hear! O LORD, Forgive! O LORD, Listen and Act!” (Esther Mui)

Gabriel Brings an Answer

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.

The Seventy Weeks

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.

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NT Reading: 2 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV)

Preach the Word

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

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Nathan Taylor – Your Word Is True

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Prayer:

+ Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen.

+ Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear our prayers, and grant that in our local congregations the pure Word of God may be preached and the Sacraments duly administered. Strengthen and confirm the faithful; protect and guide the children; visit and relieve the sick; turn and soften the wicked; arouse the careless; recover the fallen; restore the penitent; remove all hindrances to the advancement of your truth; and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church, to the honor and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Blessing

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

Thursday after Ash Wednesday; 18 Feb 2021 – Psalm 25:1-10; Daniel 9:1-14; 1 John 1:3-10 ~ Confess your sins

Thursday after Ash Wednesday; 18 Feb 2021

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

Opening:

“If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.”
(1 John 1:9-10)

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Psalms: Psalm 25 | Exodus Road Band

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OT Reading: Daniel 9:1-14 (ESV)

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

9 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice.

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Daniel’s Prayer – Brian Doerksen

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NT Reading: 1 John 1:3-10 (ESV)

That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

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Confession Song – Crossroads Community Church

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Prayer:

+ 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.

+ 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 on 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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Blessing

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

Ash Wednesday Prayer, 17 Feb 2021 – Joel 2:1-2 &12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; Matthew 6:1-6 & 16-21 ~ Return to me with all your heart.

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

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.

Tuesday before Ash Wednesday; 16 Feb 2021 – Psalm 110:1-4; Job 19:23-27; 1 Timothy 3:14-16 ~ Offer yourself to God.

Tuesday before Ash Wednesday; 16 Feb 2021

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

Opening:

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son
revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that we,
beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be
strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness
from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.

Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power….
(Psalm 110:3a )
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Psalms: Psalm 110:1-4 (ESV)

You Are A Priest Forever – Brian Flynn

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OT Reading: Job 19:23-27 (ESV)

23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
24 Oh that with an iron pen and lead
they were engraved in the rock forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
27 whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
My heart faints within me!

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I Know that My Redeemer Liveth – Mennonite Choir

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NT Reading: 1 Timothy 3:14-16 (ESV)

The Mystery of Godliness

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.

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Take my life and let it be – Kari Jobe

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Prayer:

+ Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated to you; and then use us, we pray, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Blessing

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

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