Bulletin – Ash Wednesday – Wednesday, February 25, 2026

We Gather as People of Faith

Welcome and Reflection on Ash Wednesday

 Lighting the Christ Candle / Pouring of the Baptismal Water

We gather this afternoon, with open minds and hearts
To welcome the light of Christ fully into our lives
That we might be renewed
To be ever more who we were created to be
So that we will shine like the light of Christ for this broken and blessed world.
As we pour down the baptismal waters
We are reminded through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are forever joined with the Creator, and the risen Christ.
We have nothing to fear, God is with us.

Hymn – Ash Wednesday Comes and, Lord, We Hear

Ash Wednesday comes, and Lord, we hear
The word for which our spirits yearn;
Amid this world’s distress and fear,
We hear your loving call: “Return!”

“Return to me with all your heart”
With fasting, weeping, mourning, too.
O God, we seek a brand new start,
A new beginning here with you.

You call to us — the old, the young;
You summon nations strong and weak.
When we have drifted toward the wrong,
You call us back, your way to seek.

O God most merciful and kind,
Your love is not a prize we earn;
Yet in our life with you we find
The joy that comes when we return.

Call to Worship

One:   Let us turn with confidence and humility toward God’s grace Awaiting our return to God who loves us O Tree of life, rooted in love, Make known your desires for us
All:      That we might be transformed to be more fully who you created us to be May your infinite and unceasing love and comfort be made known to us

One:   As we await your forgiveness and redemption in this life as the next Show us the path we must follow in this life Until we have eternal life after death with you Gift us with the grace to be merciful and humble, seeking justice for all That we may journey intimately through Lent with your Son, Jesus the Christ,
All:      Our mentor, and guide Our everlasting hope, and courage That is always by our side during the journey of this gift of life. Amen.

First Scripture Reading: A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah 58:3-12

First Confession

One:   Merciful and Generous God, We come before you, conscious of our failings, and brokenness We are at times ashamed, and sorry for the wrongs we have done And aware of the good things we have left undone. We have not always loved you with our whole hearts We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves At times our own shame and brokenness keeps us from loving ourselves
All:      God of mercy, be with us and heal us

One:   We know that your world is beautiful and abundant with resources for all But the needs of some too often outweigh, the needs of all Some are greedy and abuse their power There is much inequality Many families and children are without food, and clothing or a home The forests — the lungs of this sacred planet — grown in distress For the sake of profit and privilege We know that too many live well while the worlds’ resources are pillaged  Our own standard of living is held up on the backs of others suffering We have not protested as we ought to have done
All:      God of mercy, be with us and heal us

One:   We know that these inequities exist causing your children to suffer Make us braver God, to speak out and act where we can Even in our own circles we ignore injustice and abuse At times, we are afraid of losing our own safety and prestige Loving God, you called us to be your church To be witnesses to the power of your love in the world  Give us the courage and strength we need to call out injustice
All:      God of mercy, be with us, and heal us

All:      Merciful God, We come to you with wounded and open hearts You know us better than we know ourselves You know the heaviness of our burdens We ask that you take them from us now Set us free to reconnect our lives to you Renewed in faith we will be all we can for you and one another. Amen.

Sung Response – God, I call to You for help (Voices United #776)

God, I call to you for help; in your mercy hear my prayer.

Second Scripture Reading: A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew: 6:1-5; 16-21

Second Confession

One:   From a lack of reverence for truth and beauty From self-doubt and held resentments From passivity in the face of destruction or harm to others
All:      Holy One Deliver Us

One:     From Cowardice that dares not face truth Or arrogance pretending to know it all because of fear of failure Or fears that disable us and make us complacent in the face of injustice
All:      Holy One Deliver Us

One:   From constant criticism of others Or intolerance of different opinions, cultural norms or ethnicities From disrespectful attitudes imbedded in our hearts
All:      Holy One Deliver Us

One:   From being satisfied with the unequal distribution of power and resources In the church, in the world, and in our cultural systems From failing to share your outrage about injustice
All:     Holy One, Deliver Us

One:   From selfishness, or feelings of indebtedness to others Or not doing enough or overextending ourselves due to guilt From Self-pity or lack of self-esteem
All:      Holy One, Deliver Us For everything in us that might extinguish your light and love Holy One, light of hope, giver of true life, Forgive and renew us. Amen

Sung Response – God, I call to You for help (Voices United #776)

God, I call to you for help; in your mercy hear my prayer.

Third Scripture Reading: A Reading from the Book of Proverbs: 2:1-8

Third Confession

One:   For our inability to be mindful of our limitations Or our laziness that disables us from right action When our fatigue causes us to act from motives other than love
All:      Christ, forgive us

One:   For our turning from you Creator, Forgetting you are the very breath we breathe You are the beating heart that gives us life
All:      Christ, forgive us

One:   For forgetting that we are made in your image That we are wonderfully and beautifully made Agents of your love for a blessed and broken world
All:      Christ, forgive us. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, Grant us your peace.

Sung Response – God, I call to You for help (Voices United #776)

God, I call to you for help; in your mercy hear my prayer.

Invitation to light the candle and make a private commitment to God

Imposition of Ashes

Remember you are part of God’s holy earth One with God in brokenness and blessing.

Solo – “Abana in Heaven” (Then Let Us Sing #68)

Abana in heaven, hallowed be your holy name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, in all the earth as in heaven.
And give to us, give us this day our daily bread, O Lord, we pray.
Forgive our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.
And save us in time of trial. Deliver us from evil.
Yours is the kingdom, yours the power,
Yours is the glory now and ever.
Abana in heaven. Amen.

Sending Forth

Today are spirits are fed We are renewed in faith To walk this road of suffering and resurrection With the Risen Christ Glory to God, whose power working in us Can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine Glory to God from Generation to generation In the world, in the church, and in our lives

Benediction / Blessing

May the grace of Christ, the love of God And the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit Continue to bless each one of us as we live out our faith as the Body of Christ for the world today May this Lenten journey deepen your awareness of the presence of God that surrounds you. Keep your hearts open and your minds alert to the workings of God within you, That you will be warmed and held in the sacred love and care of God always. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Invitation to leave in Silence