Ash Wednesday Service at Woodlawn Christian Church Feb 10, 2016

Well, Wednesday night we had our 'Ash Wednesday' service like so many others all across the globe.  This was I believe the third year that Woodlawn Christian has had an Ash Wednesday service.  With the last two conducted by Interim Ministers, and this one being the first time that a settled Pastor had conducted the service.  Like many other protestant churches, it hasn't long been a part of our history here in Lake City.  I was asked if we were going to have a service and I gave it a great deal of consideration and ultimately, felt guided to have this service.  In hindsight I am very grateful for the direction towards conducting the service.  I felt that it was very meaningful to all that attended and honestly, we had a better turn out than I expected.

I've included the entire script of the service below.  My goal was to script a 30 minute service and we ended up at almost 30 minutes on the nose, running only seconds past the half hour mark.  It marked (a small pun) the first time I've conducted an Ash Wednesday service and I was very well pleased with what I was able to craft.  Hopefully, next year we'll come up with a program that is equally well received.

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His constant and unending Grace & Love,
Roy

Ash Wednesday Service February 10, 2016 at Woodlawn Christian Church

Welcome and announcements:

Call to Worship:
Even now, the Holy One says, return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God, who is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.

Hymn:  Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days           No. 180 All

Prayer:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent.
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that,
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
we may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect forgiveness and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Statement of Purpose:
Friends in Christ, we begin today a forty-day journey toward Easter.
We enter the Lenten season to prepare ourselves to welcome
the risen Christ with lives renewed by the breath of his spirit.
We assume a discipline of self-examination,
confession, and penitence.
We dedicate ourselves to meditate upon the scriptures
and to converse with God in prayer.
We seek to be more faithful disciples of Christ
whose lives are shaped by the one
whom we confess to be Lord and Savior of the world.
To this end let us worship God.

Hymn:  Gather Us In                 No. 284 All

First Scripture Reading:  Isaiah 58: 1-12
Isaiah 58:1-12  New International Version (NIV)

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

Second Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20 – 6:10
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 New International Version (NIV)

Chapter 5:
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Chapter 6;
1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Sermon:  What is Ash Wednesday
What is Ash Wednesday? For most of my life,  along, with I believe most Protestant Christians in America, I didn’t give Ash Wednesday a second thought.  It was a day when you'd notice the Catholics, the Episcopalians and maybe a few other 'high church' protestants having a smudged cross upon their foreheads.  It wasn't a day that we ever went to Church.

But then, in 2004, something happened and Ash Wednesday gained attention in American Protestant consciousness. Why? Because on that day Mel Gibson released what was to become his epic blockbuster, “The Passion of the Christ”.  Suddenly, “Ash Wednesday” appeared on the radar screen of all types of Christians, not just Catholics and other “high church” Protestants, as all types of Christians awaited the release of “The Passion of the Christ”.  Since 2004, many who never wondered about Ash Wednesday have been asking: What is Ash Wednesday? How do we observe it? Why should we observe it?

Ash Wednesday is a Christian Holy Day, it is not commanded by Scripture but rather is simply a Christian Tradition.  In this regard it is just like Easter and Christmas, neither of which is commanded by Scripture either.  

Nevertheless, it has been honored by Christians for well over a thousand years, falling at the beginning of Lent, a six-week season of preparation for Easter.   Lent totals 46 days in all with 40 days dedicated to fasting as Christ did in the wilderness and 6 Sundays which are not fasting days as they are as always a symbol of the resurrection. Ash Wednesday's origins are tied to its history and the time of year during which it occurs. It follows the season of Epiphany, which culminates with Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. The solemn proceedings that occur on Ash Wednesday bring the focus back to the sacrifice of Christ and the mission of the Church. The observance most likely comes from the biblical Day of Atonement. In Leviticus 16, the Lord establishes an annual day of repentance for the Israelites as a lasting ordinance for all their generations. Since the blood of Jesus represents atonement, the heart of Ash Wednesday is a humbling of oneself often through fasting and prayer.  Though not many Protestants go the route of actual fasting, I have known more and more that give something up for Lent.  Generally, this is something that has perhaps taken on too important of a role in their lives, or something that they particularly enjoy such as chocolate or even coffee.  This 'sacrifice' is meant to serve to focus their attention on the sacrifice committed and the love that our Savior has for each of us.

In the earliest centuries, Christians who had been stuck in persistent sin had ashes sprinkled on their bodies as a sign of repentance, even as Job repented “in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). Around the tenth century, believers began to signify their need for repentance by having ashes placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross.

Today, celebrations of Ash Wednesday vary among churches that recognize this holiday. More and more Protestant churches hold some sort of Ash Wednesday services; such as we here at Woodlawn Christian are doing today.  Ashes are placed on the foreheads of worshipers as a reminder of our mortality and sinfulness. The person imposing the ashes often quotes what God said to Adam after he had sinned: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19). This is the bad news of our sinfulness that prepares us to receive the good news of forgiveness in Christ.

As I stated earlier, there is no Biblical commandment that requires us to observe Ash Wednesday.  The theological core of Ash Wednesday is, however, shaped by a biblical theology of creation, sin, mortality, death, grace, and salvation. It also enacts biblical injunctions to “weep with those who weep” and to “confess your sins to one another.”

Ash Wednesday worship services are the chance for us all to openly acknowledge our frailty and sinfulness. In a world that often expects us to be perfect, Ash Wednesday gives us an opportunity to freely confess our imperfections. We can let down our pretenses and be truly honest with each other about who we are.  All here bear the mark of sin, we all stand guilty before our God. We all are mortal and will someday experience bodily death. 

The denial of death . . . it’s all around us. When people die, they are often alone, sequestered in hospitals far away from the sad eyes of friends and family. If someone happens to die at home, the corpse is quickly sent away from the grieving relatives. In polite society, one doesn’t talk much about death. Death and grieving are uncomfortable topics for us today.

Of course our own fears concerning our own demise match our cultural squeamishness about death. We don’t want to think about our own mortality, and we do many things to pretend that its not approaching. We dye our graying hair. We cover our age spots with make up. We get cosmetic surgery to preserve the image of youth. Rarely do we seriously think about our own death.

Ash Wednesday is a day to stare death in the face, to acknowledge our mortality. All of us will die. Christians who observe this holiday get ashes “imposed” on their foreheads, while a minister says, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return” In other words, “You are going to die. And here are some ashes to remind you, just in case you’ve forgotten.”

What gives us such freedom to think about death? Are we Christians morose? Do we have some peculiar fascination with dying? I don’t think so. Rather, what allows us to stare death in the face is the assurance of life, real life, eternal life. When we know our lives are safe in the hands of God, and that this physical life is just the beginning of eternity, then we’re free to be honest about what lies ahead for us. We can face death without fear or pretending, because we know the One who defeated death.

And so it is for Christians on Ash Wednesday. We can face death. We can admit our own mortality. We can talk openly about the limits of this life. Why? Because we know that through Christ we have entered into life eternal, the fullness of life that will not end when our bodies give out.

The emotional result of Ash Wednesday observance isn’t depression or gloom, but gratitude and new energy for living. When we realize how desperately we need God, and how God is faithful far beyond our desperation, we can’t help but offering our lives to him in fresh gratitude. And when we recognize that life doesn’t go on forever, then we find new passion to delight in the gifts of each and every day, and to take none of them for granted.

How grateful I am for the grace of God that allows us to stare death in the face so we can live with greater passion and delight! And how thankful I am for a day that allows me to think about death so I can cherish life even more!

The Sign of the Ashes:
From ancient times Christians have on this day
searched their hearts and sought to be cleansed from sin.
They have sought reconciliation with God and with one another.
They have received ashes marked on their foreheads
as a sign of sin's disfigurement and of their own mortality.

Prayer over the Ashes:
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth,
may these ashes be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence,
so that we may remember that only by your gracious gift
are we given everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen

Imposition of Ashes:  (congregation will proceed up the center aisle and exit  down the outer aisles)

Act of Penitence and Reconciliation:
In fear, but also in hope, we come together with ashes on our heads.
People turn to each other for food and strength only to be shoved away.  
Each day we sin against God, yet pretend that we are good.  Let us take forty 
days to look hard at our so called goodness and see what it covers up.  
Then, we will join together in taking up the cross of living in the world as it is, working to be Christ's hands and feet in this world.  Join me in prayer by responding to each spoken petition with the words; “Hear our Prayers, O God.”  
Let us pray:

Leader: That as Disciples of Christ we might start using our hands, feet, money, time, and energy for the good of the poor, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: That citizens everywhere may realize that care for their neighbor consists of more than the mere giving of money, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: For the needy, that they may not have to remain despondent and alone, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: For all of us here that we may be honest enough to admit what we are
selfish about, and what we can do to remedy our lack of love, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: For those who share Christ's charity towards sinners, let us pray to the God of mercy.
People: Hear our prayers, O God.
Leader: Merciful God, the ashes are our pledge to take up the cross of life.  We came from the earth and we will go back to it.  In the meantime, beginning these forty days, we will try to live here and make it a better home for everybody.  Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

The Declaration of God's Mercy:
Hear the good news of God's reconciling love toward all, and believe;
Through Christ God chose to reconcile the whole universe, making peace
through the shedding of Christ's blood upon the cross – to reconcile all things, whether on earth or in heaven, through Christ alone.

Passing of the Peace:

Hymn:   Amazing Grace   No. 546  All

Benediction:
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
may He let his face shine down upon you, and grant you all His peace.
Amen.

Parting Hymn: God Be With You Til We Meet Again  No. 434  v. 1