Ash Wednesday

 Ash Wednesday  

Imposition of Ashes and Holy Eucharist, Rite I 

February 18, 2015, 7pm

Rector: The Rev. Catherine D. Hicks

As you enter this sacred space that has been set aside for time with God, join us in silence as we go to God in prayer.

The Ringing of the Bell

The Word of God

 Salutation                                                                   The Lord be with you.
                                                                   And also with you.
                                                                                          Let us pray. 

Ash Wednesday Collect                                                                                                                     BCP 264 

Old Testament Reading                                        Isaiah 58:1-12 

Psalm                                                                            O bless the Lord, my soul!                            H 411 

Epistle                                                                          2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 

Sequence  Hymn                                                      O day of God, draw nigh                                H 601 

The Gospel                                                                 Matthew 6:1-6,16-21 

The Sermon                                                                                                   The Rev. Catherine D. Hicks 

Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent                                                                           BCP 264 

Silence

Imposition of Ashes                                                                                                                           BCP 265 

Psalm 51, said together                                                                                                                     BCP 266 

Litany of Penance                                                                                                                               BCP 267 

The Peace

Offertory

The Holy Communion

Eucharistic Prayer I                                                                                                                         BCP 333 

Sanctus                                                                                                                                                         S 114 

The Lord’s Prayer                                                                                                                             BCP 336 

The Breaking of the Bread                                                                                                             BCP 337 

 Fraction Anthem O Lamb of God                                                                                                      S 158 

The Communion of the People of God

Communion Hymn                                                     Here, O my Lord                                          H 318 

 Post-Communion Prayer                                                                                                               BCP 339 

The Solemn Prayer over the People

Bow down before the Lord. Grant, most merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Closing Hymn                                                   Gracious Spirit, give your servants          WLP 782 

Dismissal

Announcements
 

Welcome to St. Peter’s! Our hope is that you will find God’s love present with you in this place and that you will return here often.

Our communion bread is gluten free.

 

Our Lenten resource page is here – churchsp.org/lentatstpeters2015. Includes the background of Lent, the Lenten calendar with readings, resources, Lenten events.

 

On the Web–Daily Lenten Study beginning Feb. 18 – In a series of short daily videos, the Brothers of the Society of St John the Evangelist invite us to recapture time as a gift and discover how to experience the joy of the present moment. We have a sign up link for this program at churchsp.org.

 

On Sunday mornings at 10AM, we will be learning about and trying out various prayer disciplines. Feb. 22—Praying with the Prayer Book. The Book of Common Prayer is full of resources that can help us to grow, expand, and strengthen our ways of praying. We will learn more about our prayer traditions and how to use The Book of Common Prayer in our daily prayer disciplines.

At St Peter’s, Noonday Prayer will take place at noon every Wednesday and Evening Prayer will take place at 7 PM every Wednesday during the season of Lent, beginning Wednesday, February 25^th. The service is short – about 30 minutes.

 

The Bishop will be with us on March 8. If God is calling you to be baptized, confirmed, or to rededicate yourself to God’s work, let Catherine know of your interest.

 

———————————–This Week ————————————–

· Sat. February 21, 9am – Vestry Retreat

· Sun, February 22, 9am – First Sunday in Lent, Morning PrayerI

· Sun. February 22, 10:00am – Godly Play

· Sun., February 22, 10:00am – Adult Ed on prayer practices

· Sun., February 22, 11:00am – First Sunday in Lent, Holy Eucharist

· Wed., February 25, 10am – Ecumenical Bible Study

· Wed., February 25, 12pm – Noon Day Prayer

· Wed., February 25, 5pm – Youth Group

· Wed., February 25, 7pm – Evening Prayer

 

Lent– A Season of Repentance and Renewal 

During Lent, we empty our worship space of the usual visual images in order to create simplicity, and as Patrick Malloy puts it, “to foster an interior openness in the assembly and a longing for the glory of God.”

 

The use of a special processional cross is appropriate. During medieval times in England, Lenten processional crosses were made of wood, and were painted a deep red. Thanks to the craftsmanship of Helmut Linne von Berg, St Peter’s has its own Lenten processional cross, which we will be using during this season.

 

The ashes that we receive on our foreheads tonight remind us of our mortality. In the burial rite, we commit those who have died to the ground, ‘earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’ We pray that the Lord will bless and keep those who have died, that the Lord will make his face shine upon them, will lift up his countenance upon them and will give them peace.

 

We receive the ashes as an outward sign of our penitence as we come before the loving-kindness of God, knowing that only God can take away our sins, create clean hearts in us, renew a right spirit within us, and sustain us with God’s bountiful spirit.

 

We receive the ashes as a reminder that we live in relation to every other part of God’s creation, and that even in death our relationships with creation and with the creator are being renewed, even as our bodies return to dust.