Ash Wednesday February 17, 2021
PRAYER OF THE DAY – Let us pray. Almighty and ever-living God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly repenting of our sins, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.. Amen.
READING Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 A reading from Matthew. [Jesus said to the disciples:] 1“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever 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 whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise Be to You O Christ.
HOMILY: Sin. Here we are at Ash Wednesday and there is a great deal said about sin. What is sin? Sin is variously described in our tradition as stain, separation, offense, a missing of a mark – that is, being off-target, turning our backs to God . There is truth in all of these descriptions, and if one of them speaks to you, then go with that. But for most of us, the language of sin has been obscured and even lost; sin, as a concept doesn’t make a great deal of sense. Our society has come up with interesting ways to explain away our sin or to simply ignore them and excuse them. ~~~But my friends, we need to acknowledge our sin. We need to talk about sin. As Christians in need of a Savior, we need to recognize our sinful state as humans. That’s why we don’t do “drive by ashes” which can become empty ritual-ashes are worn in combination with our spoken Confession so that we can recognize our sinfulness and our own mortality. Our world may not wish to acknowledge sin, but as Christians, Christ-followers, we must. We need new language to understand this ancient truth. ~~~Two helpful terms that help in understanding sin are isolation and damage. Isolation has been described by Samuel Wells as the chief human problem in our age. Certainly, the pandemic has highlighted this problem. Isolation impedes our life, our abundant life, because we are created to be in communion with God, our neighbors, and ourselves. When we are isolated or isolate ourselves, our humanity is diminished. The quickest way to drive someone crazy is to put them in solitary confinement. We were created in the triune image of God, which is a loving community of persons that are so caught up in giving that they share a nature. This is why reconciliation -restoring relationships-is such a theme of God’s work – and therefore ours – because sin is isolation.
HOMILY: Sin. Here we are at Ash Wednesday and there is a great deal said about sin. What is sin? Sin is variously described in our tradition as stain, separation, offense, a missing of a mark – that is, being off-target, turning our backs to God . There is truth in all of these descriptions, and if one of them speaks to you, then go with that. But for most of us, the language of sin has been obscured and even lost; sin, as a concept doesn’t make a great deal of sense. Our society has come up with interesting ways to explain away our sin or to simply ignore them and excuse them. ~~~But my friends, we need to acknowledge our sin. We need to talk about sin. As Christians in need of a Savior, we need to recognize our sinful state as humans. That’s why we don’t do “drive by ashes” which can become empty ritual-ashes are worn in combination with our spoken Confession so that we can recognize our sinfulness and our own mortality. Our world may not wish to acknowledge sin, but as Christians, Christ-followers, we must. We need new language to understand this ancient truth. ~~~Two helpful terms that help in understanding sin are isolation and damage. Isolation has been described by Samuel Wells as the chief human problem in our age. Certainly, the pandemic has highlighted this problem. Isolation impedes our life, our abundant life, because we are created to be in communion with God, our neighbors, and ourselves. When we are isolated or isolate ourselves, our humanity is diminished. The quickest way to drive someone crazy is to put them in solitary confinement. We were created in the triune image of God, which is a loving community of persons that are so caught up in giving that they share a nature. This is why reconciliation -restoring relationships-is such a theme of God’s work – and therefore ours – because sin is isolation.
~~~The other term that is helpful for understanding sin is damage. Damage is inflicted upon us and it is also self-inflicted. The notion of damage also carries with it a notion of wholeness and health prior to the damage. We are created good, but something happens, something damages us, our sin damages us, yet we can be restored to health; damage is not our nature nor our fate. That’s why we need Baptism-to restore us in our relationship with God, to reconcile us to God. ~~~A little later in this Ash Wednesday liturgy, there will be an invitation to the observance of a holy Lent. It will say, “We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation. But our sinful rebellion separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended.” If we substitute the words sinful rebellion with words isolation and damage, it says this: “We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation. But our isolation and damage separate us from God, our neighbors, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended. “ When we confess our sin, we confess our isolation and damage-pretty powerful word switcheroo, huh? ~~~This action of substituting those words “damage” and “isolation” for sin allows us to, perhaps for the first time, hear what sin is and how it hurts us. Sin isolates us from God, ourselves, and our neighbors. It sets up walls that are not supposed to be there that keep us from thriving. Sin damages our goodness, our soundness. Sin hurts our healthy integrity. And we need healing; we need reconciliation.
~~~Ash Wednesday is our reminder of our isolation and damage. How we have separated ourselves and hurt ourselves and have been both victim and perpetrator of isolation and damage. That’s what we confess and what we wear in the form of ashes on Ash Wednesday. It’s a reminder that you are human, you will die, that you are a sinner. But also remember that the ashes are in the form of the cross as we are reminded that there is reconciliation of isolation through Christ, there is healing of damage through Christ. That reconciliation comes through the washing, healing, loving forgiveness of God through baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection.
~~~It is so important for us to recover a healthy sense of sin both theologically and socially. If we don’t know how sinful we are, we can never fully appreciate the gifts that Baptism and God’s forgiveness truly are. If we aren’t driven to our knees by the knowledge of our sin, we can never be lifted up in joy through Jesus and his sacrifice for us on the cross. If we don’t recognize our sinfulness, we can’t recognize our need for a Savior from those sins. The first part of this Ash Wednesday message is about the theological importance of sin, but the social impacts are just as important.
~~~There is something called the Dunning-Kruger Effect, a theory developed by a pair of social psychologists. The theory basically states that the level of someone’s competency in an area is inversely proportional to their level of confidence in that area. In other words, people with low ability generally overestimate their ability. What’s this have to do with sin? A great deal. Understanding ourselves as sinners brings a level of humility into our lives that has the practical effect of knowing that we might be wrong and that we are not the judge of all that is. It is the one who believes that he is without sin that is the most dangerous. This bears repeating: the one who is convinced of their sinlessness is the most dangerous to themselves and to others. ~~~We are sinners. it’s who we are. God’s gift of free will means that we often go our way instead of God’s way-that’s sin. But we have healing of that sin through Christ. We can not do it on our own-it’s all because of Jesus. That healing is given so we might enter into the abundant life of God. Our saving, our salvation, is not just to get us into heaven. And our salvation is not primarily the celestial fire insurance of rescuing us from the flames of hell. Instead, our salvation is accepting God’s healing of our damage and the reconciliation of our isolation. God wills our abundant life lived in health and community here and now-helping us to have a better life in loving relationship with God and each other. God doesn’t want us to simply only live looking up because then we miss the beauty, the joy, the love, the opportunity of everything around us. Jesus’ healing love gives us life NOW and forever.
~~~As we move in and through Lent, carry these helpful images of sin as damage and isolation. Take up your Lenten disciplines of repentance, fasting, prayer, and works of love as you recognize and begin to work on your damage and isolation. You aren’t alone-we are all doing this together as the family of God. And remember that God wills and wants your life to be reconciled, restored to him through Jesus-that’s why he sent Jesus in the first place. God loves you THAT much. A blessed Lent to you all. Amen.
A Confession of Sin Silence is kept for reflection and self-examination.
Most holy and merciful God, we confess to you and to one another, and before the whole company of heaven, that we have sinned by our fault, by our own fault, by our own most grievous 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.
Have mercy on us, O God.
We have shut our ears 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. Have mercy on us, O God.
Our past unfaithfulness, the pride, envy, hypocrisy, and apathy that have infected our lives, we confess to you. Have mercy on us, O God.
Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to share the faith that is in us, we confess to you. Have mercy on us, O God.
Our neglect of human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty, we confess to you. Have mercy on us, O God.
Our false judgments, our uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us, we confess to you. Have mercy on us, O God.
Our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us, we confess to you. Have mercy on us, O God.
Restore us, O God, and let your anger depart from us.
Hear us, O God, for your mercy is great.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION – On this Ash Wednesday, we pray for the church and for all in need.
Let these bids encourage our spoken or silent prayers. Let us pray for the church throughout the world. Let us pray for our congregation. Let us pray for everyone who is preparing for baptism at Easter. Let us pray for the health of plants and animals. Let us pray for all who care for the earth. Let us pray for peace throughout the world. Let us pray for an increase of justice in our land. Let us pray for a spirit of concord throughout our society. Let us pray for the hungry, the homeless, the unemployed. Let us pray for the end of this pandemic. Let us pray for all who are sick or suffering. Let us pray for all who today will die. Let us pray for the desires of our hearts. Let us thank God for all who have gone before us in the faith.
Merciful God, accompany our journey through these forty days. Renew us in the gift of baptism, that we may provide for those who are poor, pray for those in need, fast from self-indulgence, and above all that we may find our treasure in the life of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.
OUR FATHER…
BLESSING – Almighty God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit be with us now and always. Amen.
DISMISSAL – We go in peace with grateful hearts for all God has done for us as together we are led by the Spirit to serve God and share Christ’s love with all! Thanks be to God!!!.
ASH WEDNESDAY AND LENT AT HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH
On Wednesday, February 17, the church throughout the world begins the 40-day journey through Lent with Ash Wednesday. We begin this journey with the mark of our mortality in ash on our foreheads in the shape of the cross which is the symbol of our hope in Christ. Then, leading up to Holy Week, we will meet for five Wednesdays in worship to share in prayer and learning on the subject of “The Liturgical Year That Wasn’t” as we explore the seasons of the church year and why we do what we do in worship. Please be sure to join us as we follow the Discipline of Lent with repentance, fasting, prayer, and works of love and focus on walking with Jesus to the cross and beyond.
The schedule for Lenten worship is as follows: Wednesdays=
Ash Wednesday Feb. 17 10am and 4:30pm in the parking lot
Mid-week Lent 1 Feb 24 10am and 4:30pm in the parking lot
Mid-week Lent 2 March 3 10am and 4:30pm in the parking lot
Mid-week Lent 3 March 10 10am and 4:30pm in the parking lot
Mid-week Lent 4 March 17 10am and 4:30pm pin the parking lot
Mid-week Lent 5 March 24 10am and 4:30pm in the parking lot
Holy Week Worship Schedule
Passion/Palm Weekend – March 27, Saturday, 5:30pm, Sunday, 8:30 & 10am
Maundy Thursday – April 1, 10am and 4:30pm
Good Friday – April 2 10am and 4:30pm
Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil, April 3, Saturday, 5:30pm
Easter – The Resurrection of our Lord Sunday, April 4 , 7 & 8:30am parking lot and 10am
Please join us as we grow in faith and love together throughout the Lenten season and prepare our lives and our hearts to celebrate the saving events of Holy Week and Jesus’ glorious resurrection at Easter. ALL ARE WELCOME!
NEWS AT HOPE
DORIS PUERNER is currently recuperating in Windsor House of Canfield. If you would like to send her a card, her address is Windsor House of Canfield, 6445 State Route 446, Canfield, OH 44406-8475.
LUTHERANISM 101!! A new class is beginning on Monday, Feb 1 from 11-12noon. If you have never studied Luther’s Small Catechism, or have questions about why we do what we do as Lutherans in our worship and faith, this class is for YOU! Please join Pr. Jen as we explore the five principle parts of the Catechism-Baptism, Holy Communion, The Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments as well as worship and liturgy and more so together we can grow in our understanding of our Christian faith and our Lutheran expression of that faith.
MONDAY BIBLE STUDY on God sightings every Monday at 10:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall.
WOMEN OF HOPE –Next meeting February 21, 2021.
WORSHIP OPPORTUNITY AT HOPE!! Wednesdays at 10:00 AM there will be worship in the parking lot for all those who wish to join us for prayer, a brief homily and study of Scripture and sharing in the Eucharist.
HYMN REQUESTS – If there are any particular hymns that you would like to hear at worship, please submit the names to Pastor Jen at hopeluthern1@comcast.net . If our licensing agreement permits, look forward to hearing them soon.
HOPES AND DREAMS FOR HOPE – If you have a suggestion for a Hope or Dream for Hope Lutheran Church, Pastor Jen and your council would love to hear it. Please feel free to place any Hope or Dream in the mailbox in the hallway leading to the Fellowship Hall. All requests will be kept confidential and you will receive a timely response.
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