A Penitential Service for the First Day of Lent, also known as Ash Wednesday
The parts of this service in regular print may be read by one person or by all. The parts of the service in bold print are read by all.
Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.
His mercy endures forever.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
and let them turn to the Lord,
and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
So it is my word that goes forth
from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
Ezekiel 33: 10-20 God’s Justice and Mercy
Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?” Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel? And you, mortal, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not save them when they transgress; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, it shall not make them stumble when they turn from their wickedness; and the righteous shall not be able to live by their righteousness when they sin. Though I say to the righteous that they shall surely live, yet if they trust in their righteousness and commit iniquity, none of their righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die,” yet if they turn from their sin and do what is lawful and right— if the wicked restore the pledge, give back what they have taken by robbery, and walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity—they shall surely live, they shall not die. None of the sins that they have committed shall be remembered against them; they have done what is lawful and right, they shall surely live.
Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just,” when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turn from their righteousness, and commit iniquity, they shall die for it. And when the wicked turn from their wickedness, and do what is lawful and right, they shall live by it. Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” O house of Israel, I will judge all of you according to your ways!
Show us your mercy, O Lord.
Forgive us as you promised; we will trust your word.
Silence is kept.
The Dismissal
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen's Lenten hymn, "Return to God."
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God
Now the time of grace has come, the day of salvation;
Come and learn now the way of our God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
I will take your heart of stone and shape a heart within you,
A heart of compassion and love.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
If you break the chains of oppression,
If you set the pris'ner free;
If you share your bread with the hungry,
Give protection to the lost;
Give shelter to the homeless,
Clothe the naked in your midst,
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon us
and give us peace. Amen
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the evil ones their thoughts;
and let them turn to the Lord,
and he will have compassion,
and to our God, for he will richly pardon.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
and return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
seed for sowing and bread for eating,
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
So it is my word that goes forth
from my mouth;
it will not return to me empty;
but it will accomplish that
which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
which I have purposed,
and prosper in that for which I sent it.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
Seek the Lord while he wills to be found;
call upon him when he draws near.
For your ways are not my ways, says the Lord,
or your thoughts my thoughts.
Silence is kept.
The Reading
Silence is kept.
The Reading
Ezekiel 33: 10-20 God’s Justice and Mercy
Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?” Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel? And you, mortal, say to your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not save them when they transgress; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, it shall not make them stumble when they turn from their wickedness; and the righteous shall not be able to live by their righteousness when they sin. Though I say to the righteous that they shall surely live, yet if they trust in their righteousness and commit iniquity, none of their righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, though I say to the wicked, “You shall surely die,” yet if they turn from their sin and do what is lawful and right— if the wicked restore the pledge, give back what they have taken by robbery, and walk in the statutes of life, committing no iniquity—they shall surely live, they shall not die. None of the sins that they have committed shall be remembered against them; they have done what is lawful and right, they shall surely live.
Yet your people say, “The way of the Lord is not just,” when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turn from their righteousness, and commit iniquity, they shall die for it. And when the wicked turn from their wickedness, and do what is lawful and right, they shall live by it. Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is not just.” O house of Israel, I will judge all of you according to your ways!
Show us your mercy, O Lord.
Forgive us as you promised; we will trust your word.
Silence is kept.
The Exhortation
Brothers and sisters, let us draw near to our Lord God, with all contrition and meekness of heart mourning and lamenting our sinful life, acknowledging and confessing our offences, and seeking to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Although we have sinned, yet we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities. Let us therefore return to him, who is the merciful receiver of all true penitent sinners, assuring our selves that he is ready to receive us, and most willing to pardon us, if we come to him, with faithful repentance, if we will submit our selves to him, and from that moment on walk in his ways; if we will take his easy yoke, and light burden upon us, to follow him in lowliness, patience, and charity, and be ordered by the governance of his Holy Spirit, seeking always his glory, and serving him duly in our vocation with thanksgiving.
The Psalm
Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness;
according to the abundance of your compassion
blot out my offences.
Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my faults
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you only have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
So that you are justified in your sentence
and righteous in your judgment.
I have been wicked even from my birth,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
Behold, you desire truth deep within me
and shall make me understand wisdom
in the depths of my heart.
Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean;
wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear of joy and gladness,
that the bones you have broken may rejoice.
Turn your face from my sins
and blot out all my misdeeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence
and take not your holy spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your salvation
and sustain me with your gracious spirit;
Then shall I teach your ways to the wicked
and sinners shall return to you.
Deliver me from my guilt, O God,
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
For you desire no sacrifice, else I would give it;
you take no delight in burnt offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Prayers
The Psalm
Have mercy on me, O God, in your great goodness;
according to the abundance of your compassion
blot out my offences.
Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my faults
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you only have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
So that you are justified in your sentence
and righteous in your judgment.
I have been wicked even from my birth,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
Behold, you desire truth deep within me
and shall make me understand wisdom
in the depths of my heart.
Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean;
wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear of joy and gladness,
that the bones you have broken may rejoice.
Turn your face from my sins
and blot out all my misdeeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence
and take not your holy spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your salvation
and sustain me with your gracious spirit;
Then shall I teach your ways to the wicked
and sinners shall return to you.
Deliver me from my guilt, O God,
the God of my salvation,
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
For you desire no sacrifice, else I would give it;
you take no delight in burnt offerings.
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Prayers
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
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 temptation but deliver us from evil. AMEN.
or
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. AMEN.
Lord, save your servants,
who put their trust in you.
Lord, send them help from your holy place,
and evermore defend them.
Help us, O God, our Savior;
and for the glory of your Name deliver us;
be merciful to us sinners, for your name’s sake.
Lord, hear our prayer,
and let our cry come to you.
Let us pray.
O Lord, we implore you to mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins to you, that they (whose consciences by sin are accused) by your merciful pardon may be absolved; through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
O Most mighty God, and merciful Father, you have compassion upon all people, and hate nothing that you have made: you do not desire the death of sinners, but rather that they should turn from sin, and be saved: mercifully forgive us our offenses, and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of our sin. Your property is to have mercy, to you alone belong the forgiveness of sins: spare us therefore good Lord; spare your people whom you have redeemed. Enter not into judgment with your servants, who are miserable sinners, but so turn your anger from us who meekly acknowledge our sinfulness, and truly repent of our faults: so make haste to help us in this world, that we may ever live with you in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Turn us, O good Lord, and so shall we be turned. Be favorable O Lord, be favorable to your people, who turn to you, in weeping, fasting, and praying, for you are a merciful God, full of compassion, long suffering, and of a great pity. You spare us when we deserve punishment, and in your wrath you think upon mercy, spare your people good Lord, spare them, and let not your heritage be brought to confusion: hear us O Lord for your mercy is great, and after the multitude of your mercies, look upon us; through the merits and mediation of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
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 temptation but deliver us from evil. AMEN.
or
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. AMEN.
Lord, save your servants,
who put their trust in you.
Lord, send them help from your holy place,
and evermore defend them.
Help us, O God, our Savior;
and for the glory of your Name deliver us;
be merciful to us sinners, for your name’s sake.
Lord, hear our prayer,
and let our cry come to you.
Let us pray.
O Lord, we implore you to mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins to you, that they (whose consciences by sin are accused) by your merciful pardon may be absolved; through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
O Most mighty God, and merciful Father, you have compassion upon all people, and hate nothing that you have made: you do not desire the death of sinners, but rather that they should turn from sin, and be saved: mercifully forgive us our offenses, and comfort us, who are grieved and wearied with the burden of our sin. Your property is to have mercy, to you alone belong the forgiveness of sins: spare us therefore good Lord; spare your people whom you have redeemed. Enter not into judgment with your servants, who are miserable sinners, but so turn your anger from us who meekly acknowledge our sinfulness, and truly repent of our faults: so make haste to help us in this world, that we may ever live with you in the world to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Turn us, O good Lord, and so shall we be turned. Be favorable O Lord, be favorable to your people, who turn to you, in weeping, fasting, and praying, for you are a merciful God, full of compassion, long suffering, and of a great pity. You spare us when we deserve punishment, and in your wrath you think upon mercy, spare your people good Lord, spare them, and let not your heritage be brought to confusion: hear us O Lord for your mercy is great, and after the multitude of your mercies, look upon us; through the merits and mediation of your blessed Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen's Lenten hymn, "Return to God."
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God
Now the time of grace has come, the day of salvation;
Come and learn now the way of our God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
I will take your heart of stone and shape a heart within you,
A heart of compassion and love.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
If you break the chains of oppression,
If you set the pris'ner free;
If you share your bread with the hungry,
Give protection to the lost;
Give shelter to the homeless,
Clothe the naked in your midst,
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Return to God with all your heart, the source of grace and mercy;
Come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us praise the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious to us.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon us
and give us peace. Amen
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