Ashing Our Way Into Lent

Today, we begin the holy and penitential season of Lent, our 40-day journey with our Lord Jesus Christ to the Cross and Empty Tomb.  It's a season set aside in the Church Year for self-examination, fasting, repentance, and prayer, a time in which God's baptized people have their hearts cleansed, prepare for the paschal feast of Easter, and have their zeal in faith and life renewed.

The journey begins with the Ash Wednesday Divine Service.  Our congregation, like many others, will assemble in silence this evening.  The Prelude, Ringing of the Bells, and Opening Hymn, which usually begin the Divine Service, will be omitted.  Instead, the silence will be broken with the following Ash Wednesday Address:

P:  Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, on this day the Church begins a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection.  Our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

From ancient times the season of Lent has been kept as a time of special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently on His Word and draws from it life and hope.

Let us pray that our dear Father in heaven, for the sake of His beloved Son and in the power of His Holy Spirit, might richly bless this Lententide for us so that we may come to Easter with glad hearts and keep the feast in sincerity and truth.  

Then, we will pray the Litany together:

L: O Lord,
C: have mercy.
L: O Christ,
C: have mercy.
L: O Lord,
C: have mercy.
L: O Christ,
C: hear us.
L: God the Father in heaven.
C: have mercy.
L: God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
C: have mercy.
L: God the Holy Spirit,
C: have mercy.
L: Be gracious to us.
C: Spare us, good Lord.
L: Be gracious to us.
C: Help us, good Lord.
L: From all sin, from all error, from all evil;
From the crafts and assaults of the devil; from sudden and evil death;
From pestilence and famine; from war and bloodshed; from sedition and from rebellion;
From lightning and tempest; from all calamity by fire and water, and from everlasting death:
C: Good Lord, deliver us.
L: In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death; and in the day of judgment:
C: Help us, good Lord.
L: We poor sinners implore You
C: to hear us, O Lord.
L: To rule and govern Your holy Christian Church; to preserve all pastors and ministers of Your Church in the true knowledge and understanding of Your wholesome Word and to sustain them in holy living;
To put an end to all schisms and causes of offense; to bring into the way of truth all who have erred and are deceived;
To beat down Satan under our feet; to send faithful laborers into Your harvest; and to accompany Your Word with Your grace and Spirit:
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: To raise those who fall and to strengthen those who stand; and to comfort and help the weakhearted and the distressed:
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: To give to all peoples concord and peace; to preserve our land from discord and strife; to give our country Your protection in every time of need;
To direct and defend our president and all in authority; to bless and protect our magistrates and all our people;
To watch over and help all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation; to protect and guide all who travel;
To grant all women with child, and all mothers with infant children, increasing happiness in their blessings; to defend all orphans and widows and provide for them;
To strengthen and keep all sick persons and young children; to free those in bondage; and to have mercy on us all;
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers and to turn their hearts; to give and preserve for our use the kindly fruits of the earth; and graciously to hear our prayers:
C: We implore You to hear us, good Lord.
L: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
C: we implore You to hear us.
L: Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
C: have mercy.
L: Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
C: have mercy.
L: Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,
C: grant us Your peace.
L: O Christ,
C: hear us.
L: O Lord,
C: have mercy.
L: O Christ,
C: have mercy.
L: O Lord
C: have mercy. Amen.

Then will follow The Imposition of Ashes, where the penitents will come forward and kneel at the altar rail to have their foreheads marked with ashes in the sign of the + cross by the pastor, who says to each, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," which is a stunning reminder of our need to be cleansed and purified from our sins and a repentant expression of submission and humility before God, our Creator.

After all have received the ashes, we will make our way through the Rite of Corporate Confession and Absolution, which concludes with the penitents again coming forward to kneel at the altar rail, where the pastor will absolve them individually, laying his hands on them and saying, "In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Then, the Divine Service will continue in the usual fashion, as we make our way through the Service of the Word and the Service of the Sacrament.  But, this special and unique Service of Preparation, including the Ash Wednesday Rite, provides a wonderfully austere way for the faithful to begin the Lenten journey.  I'm very much looking forward to it!

A blessed Lententide to all!