WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE
5 March 2025
Wesley Sanctuary 7.30pm
THE HEART OF REPENTANCE
Liturgical Colour: Purple
Lectionary Readings: Joel 2:1–2, 12–17; Psalm 51:1–17;
2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10; Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21
Hymns: Just as I Am, Without One Plea (UMH 357) |
Near to the Heart of God (UMH 472) | Ashes to Ashes
Homily: The Heart of Repentance (Joel 2:12–13)
I. GATHERING
The assembly gathers in silence.
MEDITATION VERSES
Return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Joel 2:12b
Rend your heart and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God.
Joel 2:13a
PRELUDE
Softly and Tenderly Jesus is CallingUMH 348
1 Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me;
see, on the portals he’s waiting and watching, watching for you and for me.
2 Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading, pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not his mercies, mercies for you and for me?
3 Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and from me;
shadows are gathering, death’s night is coming, coming for you and for me.
4 O for the wonderful love he has promised, promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon, pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home; you who are weary, come home.
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home!
GREETING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Silence
OPENING PRAYER
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made,
and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, in lamenting our sins, and
acknowledging our brokenness,
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, now and for ever. Amen.
Congregation may stand.
CALL TO WORSHIP *
We come, aware of our sin,
of all the ways we miss the mark.
God welcomes you with compassion.
We come, longing for restoration,
to be made new.
God surrounds you with grace and forgiveness,
reconciling you to God and one another.
We come, thirsting for reconciliation,
to draw close to God and one another.
God embraces you with love,
reuniting us with God and one another.
All: Sustain in us, O God, a willing spirit
to return to the joy of our salvation
as we journey together through the season of Lent.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION *
On this first day of Lent
we pause, look within,
and examine our consciousness.
Have mercy on us, O God,
according to your steadfast love.
Where we have neglected prayer,
been apathetic in worship,
found reasons to avoid generosity,
or lacked compassion:
Have mercy on us, O God,
according to your steadfast love.
Where we have colluded
in the oppression of those
who become invisible in their suffering,
and ignored on the streets:
Have mercy on us, O God,
according to your steadfast love.
Where anxiety has eroded
the gift of Your peace, and where
we have cared too much
about what others think:
Have mercy on us, O God,
according to your steadfast love.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE *
As Lent begins, know that God understands
how we struggle to stay open and compassionate.
The invitation is not to focus on our inadequacies
but on God’s gift of grace and love
which transforms our hearts and minds.
That gift is given to us again, here and now.
Be encouraged.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)
Amen.
HYMN *
Just as I Am, Without One PleaUMH 357
Words: Charlotte Elliott, 1835; Music: William B. Bradbury, 1849
1 All
Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2 All
Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
3 Brothers
Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
4 Sisters
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
5 All
Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Congregation may be seated.
II. MINISTRY OF THE WORD
RESPONSIVE SCRIPTURE READING
2 Corinthians 5:20b–21
Be reconciled to God.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21
1Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Prayer
5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Fasting
16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is
unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Treasures in Heaven
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
HOMILY
The Heart of Repentance (Joel 2:12–13)Rev Raymond Fong
HYMN
Near to the Heart of GodUMH 472
1 There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God;
a place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
hold us who wait before thee near to the heart of God.
2 There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God;
a place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
hold us who wait before thee near to the heart of God.
3 There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God;
a place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God.
O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God,
hold us who wait before thee near to the heart of God.
III. IMPOSITION OF ASHES
Brothers and sisters in Christ, from the earliest days of the Church, Christians have observed with great devotion the time of our Lord’s passion and resurrection. It became the custom of the church to prepare for this by a season of penitence and fasting.
At first, this season was observed by those who were preparing for baptism at Easter and by those who, having been excommunicated, were to be restored to the communion of the church.
By keeping these days with care and attention Christians might take to heart the call to repentance and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel, and grow in faith and devotion to our Lord. So,
- by self-examination and repentance,
- by prayer and fasting,
- by self-denial and acts of generosity and
- by reading and meditating on the word of God,
let us keep a holy Lent.
Silence is kept while the following verse is shown.
Return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.
Joel 2:12b
After about a minute of silence, pastor introduces the ritual of ash imposition with the following words.
The ashes remind us the frailty of our human nature, our need to focus on what is eternal, and the urgent need for true repentance and conversion. Just as ashes are a symbol of death, may we die to sin with Christ, and resurrect with Him in the newness of life.
Let us pray.
O Merciful God,
maker of everything and judge of all that you have made,
from the dust of the earth you have formed us
and from the dust of death you would raise us up.
Grant that these ashes may be to us
a sign of our mortality and penitence,
that we may remember that it is only by
your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life,
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
By the redemptive power of the cross,
create in us clean hearts
and put within us a new spirit,
that we may repent of our sins
and lead lives worthy of your calling;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
All pastors to be stationed.
In the name of Christ, I invite you to receive on your forehead the sign of the cross, as a penitential outward expression of your inward contriteness.
The ashes are placed on each person’s forehead with the words:
Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.
and/or
Repent and believe the gospel.
and/or
Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.
Each person may answer Amen.
The following song will be sung during the imposition of ashes. Congregation is encouraged to join in at the refrain.
|
ASHES TO ASHES Refrain Verses 2 Rend your hearts, not your garments; return to the Lord, 3 We have seen in the heavens and held in our arms 4 Let us fast from unkindness and turn from our greed, 5 Though this life that we treasure must fade like the grass, |
After all persons have received the ashes, pastor says
Merciful God, the mark of the cross on each of our foreheads reminds us that
no matter our status, title, or background, beneath all the façade we use
to cover our inadequacies and insufficiencies, we share a commonality
—from dust we came, and to dust we shall return.
Each of us is a sinner constantly in need of Your mercy and forgiveness.
Help us, Lord, to rid ourselves of all ego and selfish desires.
May our journey into Lent be a time of penitence and simple living. Amen.
IV. SENDING FORTH
BENEDICTION *
Pastor says a prayer of blessing.
Go in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Worshippers are encouraged to leave the church premise quietly.
Prayer Ministry at the Altar
If you need someone to pray with you, please proceed to the inner rails of the altar area. If you wish to pray alone, please use the outer rails.
* Congregation may stand.
~ Created from dust,
held together by God’s extravagant love,
we turn away from sin,
and leave embracing God’s love. ~
