18 March 2026
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.
Prelude
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome and Announcements
Stand
Ash Wednesday Litany
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 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 Bill Willson
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 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.
Prayers of the Church
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For honorable and pure lives before God that abhor all gluttony, greed and hypocrisy; and for our fasting, that it might be a blessed chastening that reminds us that a broken and contrite spirit the Lord will not despise, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all pastors who implore us on Christ’s behalf to be reconciled to God, that they would be sustained in faith and granted strength and diligence in their work; and that the earthly needs of their families may be well provided for, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the families of our congregation, that God would defend His holy estate of marriage against every enemy that would divide; that He would strengthen parents for their duties, especially bringing up their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord; and that all may be preserved faithful to the end, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all who bear office in our land, that God would give them wisdom, protect them from danger and lead them to serve others according to His gracious will, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For our nation, that we may become a people that guards the rights of the weakest and most vulnerable among us, especially the unborn, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For comfort for God’s people in their many and various afflictions, [especially _____________,] that they may be granted healing, peace and recovery, according to His will, and given sure confidence that in Christ’s wounds we are healed, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For those who receive the Lord’s Supper this day, that by God’s grace and power they would return to the Lord and forsake sinful ways and thoughts, and that in receiving Christ’s body and blood they would taste with joy God’s abundant pardon, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the grieving and sorrowful, that they might have patience in tribulation and the joy of God’s salvation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
We pray all these things in the name of our crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. 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