5 March 2025
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.
Ash Wednesday Litany
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 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 Eric Ash
Ash Wednesday March 5, 2025 Luke 23:34
“Father Forgive Them…”
For Lent this year I am presenting a series of sermons on The Seven Last Words of Christ. We are starting that series tonight, Ash Wednesday. The Seven Last Words of Christ are the seven phrases the gospels record Jesus saying as he was being crucified. Often The Seven Last Words are the preaching texts for Good Friday. But these dying attestations of our Lord are important and should be heard by a larger audience. The first of these Seven Last Words comes from Luke 23:34, “Father forgive them, they do not know what they do.”
Are you a sinner? Many people do not have a good understanding of what sin is. Ash Wednesday is the most solemn day of the church year. So, I hesitate to use an illustration that is humorous – that I think might be humorous at least – but I hope it supports my point. My very first Lent as a parish pastor, I led a series of Wednesday night Bible studies. Usually, only a few people would show up. One of the saints who attended regularly was a lady I’ll call Audrey.
One night there was a bad snowstorm, and Audrey was the only person that showed up. I complimented her on her commitment. She said to me, “Oh Pastor, other people give up their vices for Lent. But I don’t do anything wrong to give up. I don’t smoke or drink or eat a lot of chocolate. Coming to your Bible study is my way of doing penance.” She meant that in the kindest way possible, I’m sure.
That’s a cute story, but this one is more serious. Another lady in my first parish was upset by one of my sermons. Then, as now, I always try to put a healthy dose of Lutheran teaching in my sermons. The doctrine du jour was total depravity, the belief that because of The Fall we human beings, all of us, are corrupt to our core, we cannot help but sin, and that any good we do is the Holy Spirit working through us. We are saved by grace alone and we cannot do good works on our own. I might have said something like that with out God’s help, we could all be Hitler or Charlie Manson or “insert the name of your favorite evil person here.”
After the service this lady confronted me in my office and told me that she was not a sinner. “I have never murdered anyone or committed adultery or willingly broke any of the 10 Commandments. I am a good person, and I don’t appreciate being put on the same level as Hitler or Manson!” I wanted to say, “Wow! If only everyone was a good as you, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die.” But I didn’t. I tried to be more prudent in my explanation of Original Sin and Justification by Grace through faith with her. But I’m sure many people felt, and do feel, as she did. To face our utter sinfulness is a disconcerting thing. But it does happen.
Have you ever been to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting? I have. Many, many times I have attended A.A. meetings with church members and friends. You know how people introduce themselves at A.A. meetings? “Hi, I’m Eric and I’m an alcoholic.” That is so unique and significant. Every person there knows that he or she has a problem, and they admit it freely. And everyone else there knows that everyone around them has the same problem they have, and no one is condemning another. Alcoholics know that their lives have become unmanageable and their only hope to be restored to sanity and serenity is through a Higher Power, that is, God. AA says you can choose who your Higher Power is, but the recovering Alcoholics I know will tell you that if Jesus isn’t your Higher Power, you don’t stand a chance. Sometimes I wish the church could be more like AA,
Working the Twelve Steps of AA leads people to greater self-awareness of one’s defects and shortcomings, and how their actions have hurt people. It reveals sinfulness. A problem with most of the world today is that we think we are perfect just as we are. “I don’t do anything wrong!” But that is not what we say in our Confession each week or what we said this evening. We confess to “sins of commission,” actual transgressions of God’s law, and “sins of omission,” good things that we should have done and did not.
Sin isn’t only the kind of thing we could be arrested for. Sin is also an attitude. A lack of appropriate concern for others is sinful. Sin can also be a thought. I might not physically murder someone I disagree with. But my self-righteous anger and fantasies of revenge are sinful. We live in a culture permeated by sin. Not speaking out against sin and reaping the benefits of the sin that goes on around us are likewise sinful. At the root of all this is the fact that we cannot love, trust and fear God as we ought. That is what makes us sin and makes us sinners.
The Jewish authorities and the roman government, Caiaphas, and Judas, and Pilate and the angry mob: all of them were probably not fully aware of exactly what they were doing when they conspired to put Jesus to death. The Jewish leaders may have thought they were protecting their God-given authority. Maybe they did fear for the people if Jesus was proven to be just another false Messiah. Pilate, as ruthless and unscrupulous as he was, had his career to protect and he needed to short-circuit a potential riot for everyone’s good . The mob was manipulated and reacted as mobs always do. Judas? Who can say if he was motivated by greed, or jealousy, or some other twisted idea. And the soldiers? They were just following orders.
What we can say for sure about all of the conspirators is that they were all caught up in something much larger than themselves. They were caught up in the power of sin. They might truly have not realized what they were really doing --murdering the Son of God! Yet, each of their reasons and motives were corrupt in their own way. Ignorance is no excuse.
As Jesus’ death sentence is about to be carried out, what does he say? Does he curse the executioners? Does he plead for his life? No. He says, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.” Can you believe it? Can you fathom that an innocent man condemned to death would pray for God’s mercy on his tormentors. Very few of us would react that way. Someone hurts us and we want an apology, we want justice, we want punishment. Jesus’ prayer for blanket amnesty doesn’t sit well with us because if Jesus forgives his enemies, then we have to forgive ours too -- and we just don’t want to.
When I was a teenager, I spent a year working in a restaurant. Once during some downtime, my teenage coworkers and I were standing around talking. There was a supervisor who had a reputation for being tough. He comes around the corner and angrily lays into me, and me alone, for being a slacker. I thought it was very unfair for him to single me out that way. I was angry at him and held a grudge.
Since then, as a pastor, I have supervised staff, and students. and interns. On occasion, I have had to give people less than glowing evaluations. I wonder if any of them feels about me the way I felt about that supervisor. Are there people, from those instances or from other interactions in everyday life, who feel that I sinned against them, and I am unaware that they feel that way. And if that’s true, then there may also be people totally unaware of how they sinned against me. There may be people in our lives that we have unknowingly hurt: we don’t even know just how much for forgiveness we really need. That thought terrifies me.
I don’t know who said it first, but someone said, “To understand all is to forgive all.” We do not take that to mean that our sinning is alright because we all have tragic backstories driving our emotions and actions. It does mean that Jesus experienced everything we all do: the physical and emotional pain, all the temptations. He knows us through and through, and he doesn’t say, “Sinning is okay, you’re not responsible.” He says, “You are a sinner and sinning is wrong. But because I love you so very much, I forgive you.”
One of the things that galled the Jewish leaders the most was that Jesus told the people their sins were forgive. That, they said, was reserved for God alone to say. From the cross, in mortal agony, Jesus forgave all our sins: sins known and unknown, what we have done and what we left undone, sins past, present, and future. In the moment of forgiveness Jesus is revealed for who he truly is, God with us, God for us. You are absolved. Your sins are pardoned. And may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 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.
Prayers of the Church
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those who meet together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we would repent and be cleansed from our sin; and that God would teach us to live as His people, called through Holy Baptism from darkness into His marvelous light, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those in authority over us, especially our president and Congress, that they may apply the law justly and in accordance with God’s Word, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those in distress and the dying, [especially _____________,] that they may receive healing, peace and the comfort of God’s presence, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who come today to receive our Savior’s body and blood, that this Sacrament would turn our hearts in repentance, strengthen our faith, and embolden us to love and serve our neighbor, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
Bless us, heavenly Father, on this holy day of repentance. As we enter the season of Lent, let us hold fast to Your Word. Teach us to die to self and serve You faithfully throughout this mortal life, until at last You bring us with the blessed saints into Your presence forevermore; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 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 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 way 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, 1930–2024
Text:
© 1978 Lutheran Book of
Worship. Used by
permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110004199