Holy Communion – Ash Wednesday, 17 February 2021
This Service will be by Zoom at 7.00 pm. This is the link: https://bit.ly/ccc-ash.
Full details on how to access the Zoom service can be found here.
A recording of the service may be made available at a later date.
Led by: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga and Revd George Mwaura
WELCOME
GATHERING PRAYER
Loving God,
On this Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent
we come together
Seeking your presence,
Offering our worship,
And asking for guidance.
We come, remembering once more
The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness,
And his refusal to give way.
We come remembering those days,
forty days and nights of trial,
That time of prayer and meditation,
Preparation for the future.
Loving God,
Help us, learning from his example,
To use this season wisely
Making time to hear your voice
And reflect on your word.
Amen
Silence…
THE CONFESSION
In the blazing light of your love
our failings are illuminated
our failure to give
our failure to love
our failure to follow
our failure to serve
our failure to be the people
you would have us be.
Forgive us and renew us.
You know our nature
know our failings
Enfold us in your arms
that we might daily know
your forgiveness and healing love.
AMEN
THE FIRST READING
Joel 2:12-18
“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the Lord your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion,
declare a holy fast,
call a sacred assembly.
Gather the people,
consecrate the assembly;
bring together the elders,
gather the children,
those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room
and the bride her chamber.
Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the portico and the altar.
Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord.
Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”
Then the Lord was jealous for his land
and took pity on his people.
New International Version®
THE GOSPEL READING
Matthew 6:1-7
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
New International Version®
THE MEDITATION
Revd George Mwaura
Musical response
THE ANOINTING
[This replaces the usual Imposition of the Ashes]
Almighty God,
from the dust of the earth you have created us.
May this oil be for us a sign of our mortality
and penitence, and a reminder that only by your
gracious gift are we given eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
People are invited to dip a finger on the oil and make the sign of the cross in the forehead.
Accomplish in us, O God, the work of your salvation.
That we may show forth your glory in the world.
By the cross and passion of your Son, our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.
Silence
PRAYERS & INTERCESSIONS
Revd George Mwaura
THE PEACE
Jesus says:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
The peace of the Lord
be always with you.
THE HOLY COMMUNION
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to offer
which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this wine to offer,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God for ever.
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
Father, you made the world and love your creation.
You gave your Son Jesus Christ to be our Saviour.
His dying and rising have set us free from sin and death.
By your Holy Spirit you make us your friends.
And so we gladly thank you,
with saints and angels praising you, and saying:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
We praise and bless you, loving Father
through Jesus Christ, our Lord;
and as we obey his command,
send your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts
that broken bread and wine out-poured
may be for us the body and blood of your dear Son.
On the night before he died he had supper with his friends,
and taking bread, he praised you.
He broke the bread, shared it with them and said:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
When supper was ended he took a cup of wine.
Again he gave you thanks, shared it and said:
Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.
So, Father, as we remember all that Jesus did,
we plead with confidence his sacrifice made once for all upon the cross.
Bringing before you the bread of life and cup of salvation,
we proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes in glory.
Great is the mystery of faith
Christ has died
Christ is risen
Christ will come again.
Lord of all life,
help us to work together for that day
when your kingdom comes and justice
and mercy will be seen in all the earth.
Look with favour on your people,
gather us in your loving arms
and bring us with all the saints
to feast at your table in heaven.
Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, O loving Father,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
Because we all share in one bread.
Take this bread,
Share this wine
In these Christ comes to us with love from God
The gifts of God
for the people of God
Amen
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank you that you have satisfied our hunger and our thirst
with living bread and living wine.
Go with us now,
and help us to share what we have received, so that those we meet
may glimpse a little of your love
and through coming to know you
find nourishment for their souls.
Amen
THE BLESSING
God, go with us in our journey of Lent
revive us when we grow weary,
direct us when we go astray,
inspire us when we turn back.
Keep us traveling ever-onwards,
a pilgrim people,
looking to Jesus Christ
who has run the race before us,
and who waits to welcome home.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ
Amen
