Sample Liturgy for Ash Wednesday

On the Liturgy

• Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. For more information, see “A Guide to Lent and Holy Week.”
• This liturgy is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer (2019).
• Some portions of the liturgy are written in a conversational tone to illustrate how the Minister might transition through the liturgy and introduce its various parts in a pastoral manner.
• Ashes may be administered in the shape of a cross on the forehead or simply sprinkled over the head. An optional section is included for churches that want to observe a season of preparation for Easter, but do not (yet) administer physical ashes.
• With a 10 to 15-minute sermon (or 15–20 minute sermon if ashes are not administered) and distribution of communion to an average-sized congregation, this liturgy is about 1 hour and 15 minutes in length. Parts of the service may be omitted at the discretion of the Minister. The Prayer of Consecration contains the words of institution, which must never be omitted.
• Hymn numbers correspond to Our Great Redeemer’s Praise (Seedbed, 2022). Chorus numbers correspond to The Chorus Book: Contemporary and Traditional Favorites (Lillenas, 2003).
• For further instructions (e.g., about how to prepare the table, when to break the bread, or what to do if all of the bread or wine is consumed before all have communed), see “The Service of the Word and Lord’s Supper.”

Art for Service Bulletins/Slideshows

Caravaggio, Saint Jerome Penitent (c. 1605–1606), oil on canvas

The Liturgy

THE ACCLAMATION

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;
His mercy endures forever.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

For the last several weeks, we have been observing the season of Epiphany and beholding the glory of God in the earthly life of Jesus. Now, it is time to set our eyes towards the cross and resurrection of Christ. This brings us to the season of Lent, in which we journey with Jesus to the cross, and prepare our hearts to celebrate the paschal mystery at Easter.

The early Church was very devoted to Easter—it was the high holy day of the entire year—and they prepared themselves seriously for its celebration. Over time, this developed into a season of fasting and penitence—confessing sin and expressing sorrow for their sins. Since this season took place in the Spring, they simply called it “Lent,” which means, “the spring season.” For centuries, Lent was a time in which new converts were prepared for baptism, and those who had been separated from the church because of notorious sins were reconciled and restored. By doing this, the whole congregation was reminded of the message of forgiveness that’s set forth in the gospel of our Savior, and of the need for all Christians to continually renew our repentance and faith.

Today, some people observe Lent in a very shallow, superficial, or ritualistic way, and that does not glorify God. But just because something has been abused, it does not take away its proper use. It still makes good sense to prepare our hearts for Easter and to focus on the biblical themes of repentance and self-examination. And so I invite you, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent. For the next 40 days, renew your commitment to prayer, fasting, and helping the poor, and to reading God’s holy Word with a focus on how the Lord wants to transform your life.

Let’s start today by taking a moment to close our eyes, be still in God’s holy presence, and silently pray for his grace, that we may faithfully keep this Lent and arrive at Easter with hearts fully prepared.

After not less than a full minute of silence, the Minister prays the Collect for Purity.

OPENING PRAYER: COLLECT FOR PURITY

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name: through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE SUMMARY OF THE LAW

When God gave his law to Moses, he knew that Israel wouldn’t keep it. Before Moses even made it to the bottom of the mountain, Israel was worshipping a golden calf, and Moses smashed the tablets as a sign that they had broken the covenant. Still today, the law of God is like a mirror that reflects back to us our sinfulness and desperate need for a Savior. Let’s open our hearts for God to show us the ways in which we’ve broken his law, and let’s say responsively the Ten Commandments.

God spoke all these words, saying,

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

I. You shall have no other gods before me.

II. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

III. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

IV. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

V. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

VI. You shall not murder.

VII. You shall not commit adultery.

VIII. You shall not steal.

IX. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

X. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

Lord, have mercy upon us, and write all these laws in our hearts.

SONG:

• Lord Have Mercy (For What We Have Done)

THE KYRIE AND/OR TRISAGION

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Holy God, holy and mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
All: Have mercy upon us.

THE GLORIA PATRI

All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PRAYER BEFORE THE LESSONS

As we prepare to hear the Holy Scriptures, let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, 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, forever and ever. Amen.

Listen attentively as God speaks to us through his Word.

THE FIRST LESSON: JOEL 2:1–2, 12–17

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Joel, Chapter 2, at the first verse:

Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near, 2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been before, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. … “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. 14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? 15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

HYMNS

• Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy (502)

THE SECOND LESSON: 2 CORINTHIANS 5:20B–6:10

A reading from Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Chapter 5, at the 20th verse:

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 6:1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

HYMN AND CHORUS

“There is no Easter Sunday without a Good Friday—no resurrection without a cross. And there is no cross without surrender” (Chris Lohrstorfer). Let’s surrender all that we are, have been, and ever will be to our God and King through our gracious Savior Jesus Christ.

• All to Jesus I Surrender (607)
• Chorus: Change My Heart, O God (64)

THE GOSPEL:

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew, Chapter 6, at the first verse:

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when 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. … 16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.

THE SERMON

The Minister expounds one or more of the Scripture lessons.

ON THE ASHES

The first day of Lent is traditionally called “Ash Wednesday,” and that name has deeply biblical roots. Again and again, the Bible tells us that when people came to God in humility and contrition, they remembered God’s words to Adam after the fall: “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Abraham prayed, “I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27). Job said, “I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). It became a tradition of God’s people in times of repentance to apply ashes to the body as a visible sign of their sorrow. “Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes” (Esther 4:1), and many of the Jews lay in ashes, with fasting and weeping and lamenting (Esther 4:3). In Jeremiah 6:26, the Lord said, “O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, and roll in ashes.” In Matthew 11:21, Jesus said that if God’s mighty works had been done “in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” By saying this, Jesus revealed that he approved of this practice when it was done from a sincere heart.

When the Church set aside a season of penitence to prepare for Easter, this practice was carried forward. Ashes were applied on the first day of Lent as a reminder that we are frail and mortal, and as a sign of humility in God’s sight. But that’s not the only thing that was done. The symbol of ashes was made distinctively Christian as the ashes were applied in the shape of a cross. Yes, we are dust and ashes, but God loves us so much that he gave us his only Son to redeem us and raise us up to life and glory.

IF ASHES ARE ADMINISTERED

Let us pray.

Almighty God, you have created us from the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be for us a symbol of our mortality and a sign of our penitence, that we may remember that it is by your grace alone that we receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

At this time, you may come forward as you normally would for communion.

As the Minister applies the ashes, he says,

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

IF ASHES ARE NOT ADMINISTERED

Although it is not the tradition of our church to administer actual ashes, it is fitting for us to apply the invisible ashes of a humble and penitent heart before the Lord. Let us pray.

Almighty God, you have created us from the dust of the earth: Humble us by the thought of our mortality and make us truly penitent, that we may remember that it is by your grace alone that we receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

PSALM 51:1–17

Psalm 51:1–17 is then sung in metrical form to a familiar tune.

Psalm 51 is one of the greatest prayers of confession in Scripture. It was written in that dark time of David’s life after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah. As Christians, we rejoice that Jesus fulfilled Psalm 51 by offering an atonement that avails for even the worst sinners and provides cleansing deep within.

Have mercy on me, in your steadfast love;
In your great mercy, blot out all my sins;
Wash me and cleanse me from iniquity,
From my transgression save and set me free.

I am forever conscious of my sin,
I know I’ve done what’s evil in your sight;
Against you only have I done this wrong,
Your words and judgment are against me just.

From the first moment that I was conceived,
My heart was sinful, selfish, and corrupt,
You, Lord, want truth within my deepest self,
You teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I’ll be whiter than the snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness deep within,
Let the bones that you’ve broken now rejoice.

Hide your face from my great iniquity,
Cover my guilt and wipe away my wrongs,
Create in me a clean heart, O my God,
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

From your sweet presence, do not banish me,
The Holy Spirit—take him not away,
Restore to me the joy of saving grace,
And make me strong and eager to obey.

Then I’ll teach sinners all about your ways,
They will return and put their trust in you,
God of salvation, cleanse me of blood-guilt,
And I will sing of your great righteousness.

Open my lips, O Lord, I’ll sound your praise;
For you do not delight in sacrifice.
A broken spirit and a contrite heart—
These sacrifices you will not despise.

As blood and water from the hyssop plant,
Was sprinkled on the sinful and impure,
Christ from his side poured out a healing stream,
To blot out all our sins and cleanse our heart.

Glory be to the Father and the Son,
And to the Spirit—blessed three in one;
As it was then, is now, and e’er shall be;
We’ll dwell with you for all eternity.

CONFESSION AND LITANY OF PENITENCE

As we come to confess our sins, we should focus first and foremost on our own failures and shortcomings. But it’s also important to remember that we do not just confess sin as individuals who happen to be together in the same room. We stand in solidarity with one another as a congregation and as part of one global Church. We confess “our” sins and acknowledge that “we” have failed to keep all of God’s commandments.

This prayer does not mean that every individual member has committed every sin that is named. And it certainly doesn’t mean that we are free to continue in sin that grace may abound. What it does mean is that as the people of God we have failed the Lord in countless ways, and we rely completely on his love and mercy for forgiveness.

Let us humbly confess our sins.

Most holy and merciful Father, we confess to you, and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned, through our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven. We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.

Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For all our unfaithfulness and disobedience; for the pride, vanity, and hypocrisy of our lives;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our self-pity and impatience, and our envy of those we think more fortunate than ourselves;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our unrighteous anger, bitterness, and resentment; for all lies, gossip, and slander against our neighbors;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our sexual impurity, our exploitation of other people, and our failure to give of ourselves in love;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our intemperate pursuit of worldly goods and comforts;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our dishonesty in daily life and work, our ingratitude for your gifts, and our failure to heed your call.
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our wastefulness and misuse of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For all false judgments, for prejudice and contempt of others, and for all uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our negligence in prayer and worship; for our presumption and abuse of your means of grace;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For seeking the praise of others rather than the approval of God;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

For our failure to commend the faith that is in us;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against you.

All: Show favor to your people, O Lord, who turn to you in weeping, fasting, and prayer. For you are a merciful God, full of compassion, long-suffering, and abounding in steadfast love. You spare when we deserve punishment, and in your wrath you remember mercy. Spare your people, good Lord, spare us; in the multitude of your mercies, look upon us and forgive us; through the merits and mediation of your blessed Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE ABSOLUTION

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in your great mercy you have promised forgiveness to all who turn to you with sincere repentance and true faith. Have mercy upon us; pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE COMFORTING WORDS AND THE PEACE

Hear the Word of God to all who truly turn to him: “This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.'” “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins.”

Peace be with you.
And also with you.

THE OFFERTORY

The bread and wine for communion are brought to the Table at this time.

INVITATION TO THE TABLE

In their hymns on the Lord’s Supper, John and Charles Wesley published these heart-searching words:

Father, behold I come to do
Thy will, I come to suffer too
Thy acceptable will;
Do with me, Lord, as seems thee good,
Dispose of this weak flesh and blood,
And all thy mind fulfil.

Thy creature in thy hands I am,
Frail dust and ashes is my name;
Thy earthen vessel use,
Mould as thou wilt the passive clay,
But let me all thy will obey,
And all thy pleasure choose.

Welcome whate’er my God ordain!
Afflict with poverty or pain
This feeble flesh of mine,
(But grant me strength to bear my load)
I will not murmur at thy rod,
Or for relief repine.

My spirit wound (but oh! Be near)
With what far more than death I fear,
The darts of keenest shame,
Fulfilled with more than killing smart,
And wounded in the tenderest part
I still adore thy name.

Beneath thy bruising hand I fall,
Whate’er thou send’st I take it all,
Reproach, or pain, or loss,
I will not for deliverance pray,
But humbly unto death obey,
The death of Jesu’s cross.

If you truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and intend to give yourself fully to God, to take up your cross and humbly unto death obey, the Lord invites you to come to his Table and receive the sacrament of his body and blood.

HYMN

• Just As I Am (509)

THE PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

The congregation may be reminded to keep their eyes open for this prayer, which contains the words of institution that must never be omitted.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father; of your tender mercy, you gave your only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. By once offering himself there, he made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, offering, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world.

So now, most merciful Father, we humbly ask you to bless and sanctify, with your Word and Spirit, these gifts of bread and wine; and grant that we may receive them according to the holy institution of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, in remembrance of his death and passion, and be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood.

In the same night that he was betrayed, he took* bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake* it; and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this* is my Body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise after Supper he took* the Cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink you all of this; for this* is my Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins: Do this as often as you shall drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died;
Christ is risen;
Christ will come again.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Let us pray.

Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your 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. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS

Let us pray with humility to the Lord.

We do not presume to come to your Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your abundant and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your Table; but you are the same Lord whose nature it is to always have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

THE MINISTRATION

The Ministers receive the Bread and Cup, and then invite the people to come forward to partake. When delivering the bread to each person, one of the following may be said:

• The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for you.
• The body of Christ, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life.
• The body of Christ; take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you.
• The body of Christ; feed on him in your heart by faith, with thanksgiving.
• The body of Christ, the bread of heaven.

When delivering the cup to each person, one of the following may be said:

• The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you.
• The blood of Christ, preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life.
• The blood of Christ; drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
• The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation.

The bread and wine may be distributed in silence, or “His Mercy Is More” may be played in the background.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart: that desiring you, we may seek you; and that seeking you, we may find you; and that finding you, we may love you; and that loving you, we may hate those sins from which you have delivered us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE BLESSING AND SENDING

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. Amen.

Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.