First Trinity Lutheran Church

14 February 2024

Ash Wednesday

Today, Ash Wednesday, begins the Church’s season of Lent. Lent is a season of penitence and fasting which prepares us for the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord, at Easter. Ash Wednesday is the most solemn day of the Church year. The minimal use of music and periods of silence create an atmosphere of austerity in the Service appropriate to our contrition for our sins. The Ashes, a traditional symbol of sorrow, remind us of our mortality. Whereas ashes can be used as a cleaning agent, they also remind us of our Baptism as we once again receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads and the promise of repentance and forgiveness. The ashes we use are made from previous years’ palm fronds.

Ringing of the Bell

Welcome and Announcements

Stand

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.

Silence for reflection.

P O Lord,

C have mercy.

P O Christ,

C have mercy.

P O Lord,

C have mercy.

P O Christ,

C hear us.

P God the Father in heaven,

C have mercy.

P God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

C have mercy.

P God the Holy Spirit,

C have mercy.

P Be gracious to us.

C Spare us, good Lord.

P Be gracious to us.

C Help us, good Lord.

P By the mystery of Your holy incarnation;
by Your holy nativity;
by Your baptism, fasting, and temptation;
by Your agony and bloody sweat;
by Your cross and passion;
by Your precious death and burial;
by Your glorious resurrection and ascension;
and by the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter:

C Help us, good Lord.

P 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.

P We poor sinners implore You

C to hear us, O Lord.

P To prosper the preaching of Your Word;
to bless our prayer and meditation;
to strengthen and preserve us in the true faith;
and to give heart to our sorrow and strength to our repentance:

C We implore You to hear us, good Lord.

P To draw all to Yourself;
to bless those who are instructed in the faith;
to watch over and console the poor, the sick, the distressed, the lonely, the forsaken, the abandoned, and all who stand in need of our prayers;
to give abundant blessing to all works of mercy;
and to have mercy on us all:

C We implore You to hear us, good Lord.

P To turn our hearts to You;
to turn the hearts of our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers;
and graciously to hear our prayers:

C We implore You to hear us, good Lord.

P Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

C we implore You to hear us.

P Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,

C have mercy.

P Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,

C have mercy.

P Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,

C grant us Your peace.

P O Christ,

C hear us.

P O Lord,

C have mercy.

P O Christ,

C have mercy.

P O Lord,

C have mercy. Amen.

P O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. We implore You to have compassion on the frailty of our mortal nature, for we acknowledge that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Mercifully pardon our sins that we may obtain the promises You have laid up for those who are repentant; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

The rite continues with the imposition of ashes.

Sit

Using the right thumb, the pastor or an assistant places the ashes on the forehead of each person in the sign of the cross, saying:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

After receiving the ashes, each person returns to his place in silence. There is no statement of dismissal.

Stand

419 Savior, When in Dust to Thee LSB 419

1 Savior, when in dust to Thee
Low we bow the_adoring knee;
When, repentant, to the skies
Scarce we lift our weeping eyes;
O, by all Thy pains and woe
Suffered once for us below,
Bending from Thy throne on high,
Hear our penitential cry!

2 By Thy helpless infant years,
By Thy life of want and tears,
By Thy days of deep distress
In the savage wilderness,
By the dread, mysterious hour
Of the_insulting tempter’s pow’r,
Turn, O turn a fav’ring eye;
Hear our penitential cry!

3 By Thine hour of dire despair,
By Thine agony of prayer,
By the cross, the nail, the thorn,
Piercing spear, and torturing scorn,
By the gloom that veiled the skies
O’er the dreadful sacrifice,
Listen to our humble sigh;
Hear our penitential cry!

4 By Thy deep expiring groan,
By the sad sepulchral stone,
By the vault whose dark abode
Held in vain the rising God,
O, from earth to heav’n restored,

Mighty, reascended Lord,
Bending from Thy throne on high,
Hear our penitential cry!

Text: Robert Grant, 1779–1838, alt.
Text: Public domain

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION LSB 184

The sign of the cross may be made by all in remembrance of their Baptism.

Invocation

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

Exhortation 184

P Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching Him in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to grant us forgiveness.

P Our help is in the name of the Lord,

C who made heaven and earth.

P I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord,

C and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.

Confession of Sins

P O almighty God, merciful Father,

C I, a poor, miserable sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your temporal and eternal punishment. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, and I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor, sinful being.

P God be merciful to you and strengthen your faith.

C Amen.

P Do you believe that the forgiveness I speak is not my forgiveness but God’s?

C Yes.

P Let it be done for you as you believe.

Absolution LSB 185

P Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and 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 T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

Kyrie LSB 186

C Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P The Lord be with you.

C And with thy spirit.

P Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Sit

Psalm Psalm 51:1–13

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

Old Testament Reading Joel 2:12–19

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the Lord your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
gather the people.
Consecrate the congregation;
assemble the elders;
gather the children,
even nursing infants.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep
and say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
a byword among the nations.
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the Lord became jealous for his land
and had pity on his people.
The Lord answered and said to his people,
“Behold, I am sending to you
grain, wine, and oil,
and you will be satisfied;
and I will no more make you
a reproach among the nations.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Epistle 2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

A This is the Word of the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Stand

Verse (Lent) LSB 157

C Return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and abounding in steadfast love.

Holy Gospel Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixth chapter.

C Glory be to Thee, O Lord.

[Jesus said:] “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 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. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when 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. . . .

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C Praise be to Thee, O Christ.

Sit

610 Lord Jesus, Think on Me LSB 610

1 Lord Jesus, think on me
And purge away my sin;
From worldly passions set me free
And make me pure within.

2 Lord Jesus, think on me,
By anxious thoughts oppressed;
Let me Your loving servant be
And taste Your promised rest.

3 Lord Jesus, think on me
Amid the battle’s strife;
In all my pain and misery,
O be my health and life!

4 Lord Jesus, think on me
Nor let me go astray;
Through darkness and perplexity
Point out Your chosen way.

5 Lord Jesus, think on me
That, when this life is past,
I may the_eternal brightness see
And share Your joy at last.

Text: Synesius of Cyrene, c. 365–c. 414; tr. Allen W. Chatfield, 1808–96, alt.
Text: Public domain

Sermon - Pastor ric Ash

Ash Wednesday Feb. 14, 2024 Matt. 6:1-6,16-21

Love Among the Ashes

Today, of course, is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of Lent and the most solemn day of the church year. Today we begin our contemplation of Jesus’ passion and death. It is a sober time of penitence and serious reflection. This year, Ash Wednesday just so happens to fall on February 14, which is also Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is our culture’s biggest celebration of romantic love. It is a day for chocolates and flowers and love songs. The two holidays could not seem more different. Actually, I see an interesting connection between the two.

Originally, Valentine’s Day was the celebration of one or more Christian martyrs named Valentine who lived way back in the third century. There are legends, probably based on facts, about three priests who were prosecuted for converting so many pagans to the Christian faith. All three gave their lives for their faith on February 14. Stories about how the Valentines did clandestine weddings for Christians during the times of persecution, and how they passed notes between imprisoned lovers, were likely fabricated much later. What then do the Valentines have to do with romantic love? Not much… but hold on. I think we’ll find something.

There was a pagan holiday in mid-February called Lupercalia. This was a rowdy festival where men would sacrifice goats and other animals, and then run through the streets barely dressed hitting people with pelts of goat skin. Pregnant women believed that being hit in that way would give them healthy babies. Prety strange, huh? It has been hypothesized that the church replaced the wild pagan Lupercalia festival with the more sedate religious festival Valentine’s Day. But there is no evidence to support that. It looks like just another attempt to make a Christian Holy Day look like it was a cover up for a pagan holiday, like the misinformation about Saturnalia and Christmas that we’ve talked about before.

The connection between St. Valentine’s Day and romantic love probably began in England in the Middle Ages. The author Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about birds finding their mates in February. Somehow that idea was expanded to become an excuse for men to write love letters to women they wanted to court. Things took off from there. Coincidentally, Melanie and I were married on this day, Valentine’s Day, 42 years ago. Our son was born three years later, on Valentine’s Eve, Feb. 13.

You can see then why I might especially see a connection between romantic love and Christ’s love, with Christ’s love being the foundation of our faith and this holy day. I am sure many people will tell you it’s easy to be in love when you’re young and healthy and lying on a sunny, sandy beach. But that doesn’t last long. Some of the older wedding services referred to the normal difficulties that occur in married life. They spoke of them as crosses we must bear. It is harder to be in love when you’re older and your health isn’t quite as good, and there are meals to fix and bills to pay and children to care for and aging parents to care for, too. But that’s the test of true love, isn’t it? It’s “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.”

Love isn’t just a warm, fuzzy emotion that makes us feel all giddy. Love is a commitment that is lived out every day. It’s easy to say, “I love you.” Putting love in action, backing up the words with concrete proof, that is what love is all about. In our congregation and community, we have had many people who celebrated 50 or more years of marriage. They would tell you it hasn’t always been easy. It takes patience and understanding and perseverance. But it’s definitely worth it. That kind of love is one of the highest joys this life has to offer.

Christian marriage is a symbol of the love Christ has for us, His people, His church. The church is rightfully called “The Bride of Christ.” I tell couples that I do pre-marriage counseling with that when their marriage is working right, they will love and support and forgive one another as Christ loves and supports and forgives us. Christ loves us so much he died for us. Can we have that same kind of love for Him? Well, the three Valentines don’t have a day named after them for writing love letters to Jesus or singing silly love songs. Their lives were no day at the beach. But they did not consider their own lives too great a sacrifice to make in response to the love that Christ had for them. Now they live in the light of His love eternally.

So, how did we get Ash Wednesday? Its origins are not clear. If you google “Ash Wednesday origins” most of the hits will be from groups that claim Ash Wednesday is pagan in origin. They say it came from African, Hindu, or Norse religions. Preposterous! Again, these are people just trying to put down the church and Christianity, they have no facts to back them up. If they are going to lie about us, I wish they would at least agree on which lie they are going to tell.

Although Ash Wednesday is never mentioned in the Bible, it grows out of Biblical faith. We know how Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days. It also rained for forty days during the Great Flood and Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God for forty days. In the early church, people who were to be baptized, and those being restored to the church after leaving it, would undergo a period of Biblical, theological instruction, corresponding to Lent, and then be received as members at Easter. In the Bible ashes are a symbol of grief and repentance. In Bible times, people mourned their losses and mourned their sin by wearing sackcloth and putting ashes on the head. Bring these different elements all together, and you have the basis for Ash Wednesday and Lent. Observing Ash

Wednesday is not commanded in scripture, it’s not required, it’s not

something we do to earn God’s favor. And it’s not prohibited either. It’s

a church tradition that God has blessed, and we know that because it Has helped so many people grow spiritually.

We observe Lent as a sober time of penitence. Our emphasis is on turning from our sin and turning toward God. This is how we prepare for the joy of our Easter celebration. In Lent we get more intentional about living out our faith. Jesus’ spoke in our gospel reading about giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. But he seems to have spoken negatively about these things. But it’s not the actions that are wrong – they are good things to do -- it is the attitude, the motivation, of those doing the actions that is wrong and Jesus objects to.

Jesus calls the people doing those things hypocrites. They are not doing them to help their neighbors or to praise and honor God. They are not doing them out of love for God and man. They are looking for recognition. They are trying to make themselves look pious and faithful to others. It’s narcissism; it’s egomania; it’s virtue signaling. God is not fooled, He is not impressed.

What’s important in our Lenten practices is that we do these good works for the right reasons. We do them to honor God and serve our neighbors, as God has commanded us to do. So perhaps we do more reading of scripture and devotional materials. Or we be more charitable, especially with the poor. This was traditionally called giving alms. Lent is also a time of self-denial or fasting, that is giving up something we enjoy. In a small way that sacrifice may help us better appreciate what Jesus gave up for us.

Years ago, I was pretty good at choosing a Lenten fast and sticking to it. Lately, as in the past few decades, I have often chosen a fast, failed at it, and then felt guilty. Can there be anything positive in a failed fast? I hope I’m not just fooling myself, but as I reflect on that, maybe God is reminding me that a Lenten fast isn’t a self-improvement program, it’s a spiritual discipline. Fasts are intended to draw us closer to God and not be an excuse to lose a few pounds. Maybe God is also reminding me that I can do nothing good on my own. All good comes from Him ultimately. He is the author of all goodness.

We will see God’s goodness, in the land of the living and in the life beyond. God is blessing us in so many ways right now. And Lent, which begins today, Ash Wednesday, culminates with the death and resurrection of Christ our Lord and that is how our eternal salvation was won. That is where we are guaranteed everlasting life. Ash Wednesday, Valentine’s Day, Lent, Easter, they are all about love, God’s amazing love for us. Rejoice in that, even on this solemn day. Amen.

Votum

P The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

C Amen.

Stand

Nicene Creed

C I believe in one God,

the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth

and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of His Father before all worlds,

God of God, Light of Light,

very God of very God,

begotten, not made,

being of one substance with the Father,

by whom all things were made;

who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried.

And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

and ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of the Father.

And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the

dead,

whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord and giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,

who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,

I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,

and I look for the resurrection of the dead

and the life T of the world to come. Amen.

Offertory Invitation

The Psalmist wrote, "Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into this courts." Therefore, we now make our offerings to God.

Offertory LSB 192

C Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit. Amen.

Offertory Prayer

P Lord God, receive these gifts we bring as a sign of our penitence and loving service. Through this Eucharist, free us from our sins and make us an acceptable offering to you. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

C Amen.

SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT

Preface LSB 194

P The Lord be with you.

C And with thy spirit.

P Lift up your hearts.

C We lift them up unto the Lord.

P Let us give thanks unto the Lord, our God.

C It is meet and right so to do.

Proper Preface

P It is truly meet, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who overcame the assaults of the devil and gave His life as a ransom for many that with cleansed hearts we might be prepared joyfully to celebrate the paschal feast in sincerity and truth. Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:

Sanctus LSB 195

C Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth;

heav’n and earth are full of Thy glory.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is He, blessed is He, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest.

Lord’s Prayer LSB 162

P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:

C Our Father who art in heaven,

hallowed be Thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven;

give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those

who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom

and the power and the glory

forever and ever. Amen.

The Words of Our Lord

P On the night, in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same also, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, shed for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Pax Domini LSB 197

P The peace of the Lord be with you always.

C Amen.

Fraction

P This is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Happy are they who are called to His feast.

C O Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I will be healed. Amen.

Agnus Dei LSB 198

C O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.

O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us.

O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, grant us Thy peace. Amen.

Sit

Distribution 164

The pastor and those who assist him receive the body and blood of Christ first and then distribute them to those who come to receive, saying:

The body of Christ, given for you.

Amen.

The blood of Christ, shed for you.

Amen.

Stand

The Dismissal LSB 199

P The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen and preserve you in body and soul to life everlasting. Depart T in peace.

C Amen.

Thanksgiving LSB 200

P O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,

C and His mercy endureth forever.

Post-Communion Collect

P Let us pray.

O God the Father, the fountain and source of all goodness, who in loving-kindness sent Your only-begotten Son into the flesh, we thank You that for His sake You have given us pardon and peace in this Sacrament, and we ask You not to forsake Your children but always to rule our hearts and minds by Your Holy Spirit that we may be enabled constantly to serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

Salutation LSB 201

P The Lord be with you.

C And with thy spirit.

Benedicamus LSB 202

P Bless we the Lord.

C Thanks be to God.

Benediction LSB 202

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and T give you peace.

C Amen, amen, amen.

418 O Lord, throughout These Forty Days LSB 418

1 O Lord, throughout these forty days
You prayed and kept the fast;
Inspire repentance for our sin,
And free us from our past.

2 You strove with Satan, and You won;
Your faithfulness endured;
Lend us Your nerve, Your skill and trust
In God’s eternal Word.

3 Though parched and hungry, yet You prayed
And fixed Your mind above;
So teach us to deny ourselves,
Since we have known God’s love.

4 Be with us through this season, Lord,
And all our earthly days,
That when the final Easter dawns,
We join in heaven’s praise.

Text: based on Claudia F. Hernaman, 1838–98; para. Gilbert E. Doan, 1930
Text: © 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004199

Acknowledgments