Ash Wednesday Worship and Communion, 7pm
Begin your Lenten journey tonight!
The scripture reading is from Mark's Gospel, chapter 8 beginning at verse 14:
Mark 8:14 Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.” 16 They said to one another, “It is because we have no bread.” 17 And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 Then he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Questions for Personal Reflection from Steve Sweet
1) For what do you hunger and thirst?
2) How do you fill your need for for God and for community?
Prayer: God of all seasons, in your pattern of things
there is a time for keeping and a time for losing,
a time for building up and a time for pulling down.
In this season of Lent as I journey with you to the cross,
help me to discern in my life
what I must lay down and what I must take up,
what I must end and what I must begin.
Give me grace to lead a disciplined life,
in glad faithfulness and with the joy that comes
from walking face to face with you, Lord and Christ. Amen.
a time for building up and a time for pulling down.
In this season of Lent as I journey with you to the cross,
help me to discern in my life
what I must lay down and what I must take up,
what I must end and what I must begin.
Give me grace to lead a disciplined life,
in glad faithfulness and with the joy that comes
from walking face to face with you, Lord and Christ. Amen.
Ashes
ReplyDeleteTwo nights ago I knelt and
took the ashes from the fireplace.
It was some time before I saw evidence
of the smudge of ash upon my face.
I washed it quickly away.
Last night I knelt and took the bread
and dipped it in the cup,
and then I felt the cool smooth
finger of ash upon my forehead,
ashes from last year's palms
saved for this holy time.
I wondered if there might still be
some remnant of Hosanna!
lingering in the ashes.
All evening long I wore the ash,
that holy ash,
and when others saw the smudge,
I wondered if they were inclined
to wipe it clean
or to lean closer
in the hope of hearing
some soft Hosanna!
burning still
in ash
or heart . . .
Ann Weems's, "Kneeling in Jerusalem"
great poem
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