Wednesday, 22nd February, 2023
Said Eucharist
Ash Wednesday
Introduction
Greeting
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The president briefly welcomes the congregation.
I will go to the altar of my God:
Even to the God of my joy and gladness.
Kyrie
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Collects
Silence is kept.
Lord of majesty and splendour, before whom we are but dust, help us to use our time on earth wisely, that we may turn from sin and follow Christ who is our Lord, our Saviour and our friend; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
First reading: Isaiah 58:1–12
A reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah.
Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practised righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgements, they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’ Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.
For the word of the Lord:
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 51:1–17
Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness.According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.Cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions.My sin is constantly before me.
Against you, and you only, I have sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight,so you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge.
Behold, I was born in iniquity.My mother conceived me in sin.
Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts.You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean.Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness,that the bones which you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,and blot out all of my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.Renew a right spirit within me.
Don’t throw me from your presence,and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation.Uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways.Sinners will be converted to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation.My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
Lord, open my lips.My mouth will declare your praise.
For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it.You have no pleasure in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever, world without end. Amen.
Second reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10
A reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat 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.
As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
For the word of the Lord:
Thanks be to God.
Gospel: Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21
Do not harden your hearts, as Israel did at Meribah, that day at Massah in the wilderness.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessed be God forever.
+++ Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew:
Praise to you, O Lord.
‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever 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.
‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Thanks be to you, O Lord, for this your glorious Gospel:
Praise to you, O Christ.
Litany of penitence
God the Father, have mercy on us.
God the Son, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy and eternal Trinity, have mercy on us.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Columba, apostle of this land, pray for us.
Ninian of the white house, teacher and guide, pray for us.
Kentigern, our bishop, Mungo, the dear one, pray for us.
Cecilia, martyr, patron of music, pray for us.
All God’s saints and angels, pray for us.
For our sins and weakness, Lord, have mercy.
For the times we have not loved our neighbour, Lord, have mercy.
For the times we have turned away from you, Lord, have mercy.
For the times we have participated in injustice, Lord, have mercy.
From sin and temptation, Lord, deliver us.
From sickness and death, Lord, deliver us.
From sorrow and despair, Lord, deliver us.
From all disaster and calamity, Lord, deliver us.
May the Lord of compassion, who forgives all those who truly repent, have + mercy upon you, lay aside your sins and bring you to reign with Them in glory, through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Imposition of ashes
Members of the congregation may come forward to have the sign of the cross made on their foreheads in palm ash.
As the ashes are imposed:
Remember that you are mortal. From dust you came, and to dust you will return. Turn from sin and follow Christ. Amen.
Prayers of intercession
Prayers of intercession are said.
Liturgy of the Sacrament
Peace
We meet in Christ’s name:
Let us share his peace.
The congregation offer one another a sign of peace.
Offertory
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for by your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made; it shall become for us the bread of life. Blessed be God forever.
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for by your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands; it shall become the cup of our salvation. Blessed be God forever.
Eucharistic prayer
The Lord be with you:
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts:
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God:
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Heavenly Creator, all glory, praise and thanksgiving belong to you, for by your power you uphold our very being. Your Holy Spirit is eternally at work in us, breathing life into all things and weaving our lives into your dream for the world. Through your Word made flesh you have redeemed us, making us whole through his death and glorious resurrection.
As a holy people rejoicing to do your work, we who, carrying our cross, now follow in Christ’s footsteps offer you our praise, with angels and archangels, with our Lady Mary and all the saints, and the whole company of heaven, singing the hymn of your unending glory:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
+ Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Almighty God, blessed is your name in all creation, for Christ your Son in whom all things are reconciled. Through him the broken are healed, the lost are found and the outcast made welcome. His table is set that all who hunger may eat and be satisfied.
For, on the night when he was betrayed to his death, at supper with his disciples, he took bread and gave you thanks. He broke the bread, and gave it to them, saying, Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper, he took the cup, gave you thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink this, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
Therefore, merciful Lord, we recall all that Jesus did among us: his birth in Bethlehem; his death on the cross; his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension. In faith, hope and love we offer to God these our gifts of sacrifice, together with our souls and bodies, that Christ may dwell evermore in us and we in him.
To this end, O God, we humbly ask that you send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon this bread and this wine, that by the power of the Spirit they may become the body and blood of your dear Son, that we may be strengthened in faith, emboldened in love and empowered to walk in your grace and truth.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom and with whom and in whom, in the union of the Holy Spirit, all praise and glory and honour be to you, Lord of all ages, world without end. Amen.
Breaking of bread
The president breaks the bread.
The living bread is broken for the life of the world:
Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.
Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, so we 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. Lead us not into the time of trial, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Agnus Dei
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace.
Communion
The ministers and congregation receive Communion.
At the giving of the bread:
The body of Christ, the bread of life. Amen.
At the giving of the cup:
The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation. Amen.
Prayers after communion
Give thanks to the Lord, for They are gracious:
And Their mercy endures forever.
Lord God Almighty, we thank you for this holy meal of the body and blood of your dear Son. Help us to be examples by his great example, and be witnesses to your justice and mercy in the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing
May the Lord bless you and keep you safe. Amen.
May the Lord make Their face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. Amen.
May the Lord lift Their face to you and give you peace. Amen.
And the blessing of God Almighty, + the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:
+ In the name of Christ. Amen.