The Solemn Liturgy for Ash Wednesday for March 2, 2022 at 5:30pm

you [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] peace [Music] hey [Music] me oh [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] yes [Music] r jesus [Music] oh [Music] see [Music] jesus [Music] me oh [Music] [Music] we are too [Music] oh [Music] r [Music] foreign [Music] the lord be with you [Music] let us pray almighty and everlasting god who hate us nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness may obtain of thee the god of all mercy perfect remission and forgiveness through jesus christ our lord who liveth and reigneth with thee and the holy spirit one god for ever and ever [Music] a reading from the book of the prophet joel blow ye the trumpet in zion and sound an alarm in my holy mountain let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the lord cometh for it is nigh at hand a day of darkness and of gloominess a day of clouds and of thick darkness as the morning spread upon the mountains a great people and a strong there hath not been ever the like neither shall be any more after it even into the years of many generations therefore also now said the lord turn ye even to me with all your heart and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning and rend your heart and not your garments and turn unto the lord your god for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the evil who knoweth if he will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the lord your god blow the trumpet in zion sanctify a feast call a solemn assembly gather the people sanctify the congregation assemble the elders gather the children and those that suck the breasts let the bridegroom go fourth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet let the priests the ministers of the lord weep between the porch and the altar and let them say spare thy people o lord and give not thine heritage to reproach that the heathen should rule over them wherefore should they say among the people where is your god the word of the lord is [Music] i is [Music] um jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] with us [Music] is [Music] a reading from the second epistle of saint paul to the corinthians we pray you in christ stead be ye reconciled to god for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of god in him we then as workers together with him beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of god in vain for he saith i have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have i suckered thee behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation giving no offence in anything that the ministry be not blamed but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of god in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in imprisonments in tumults in labors in watchings in fastings by pureness by knowledge by long-suffering by kindness by the holy ghost by love unfeigned by the word of truth by the power of god by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left by honor and dishonor by evil report and good report as deceivers and yet true as unknown and yet well-known as dying and behold we live as chastened and not killed as sorrowful yet always rejoicing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing and yet possessing all things the word of the lord holy [Music] oh [Music] oh oh [Music] [Music] am [Music] [Music] me [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] is [Music] we are [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] peace [Music] [Music] the holy gospel of our lord jesus christ according to saint matthew [Music] jesus said take heed that you do not your arms before men to be seen of them otherwise ye have no reward of your father which is in heaven therefore when thou doest thine arms do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have the glory of men verily i say unto you they have their reward but when thou doest arms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth that thine arms may be in secret and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly and when they're praised thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men verily i say unto you they have their reward but thou when thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou has shut thy door pray to thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly moreover when you fast be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast verily i say unto you they have their reward but thou when thou fastest anoint thine head and wash thy face that thou appear not unto men to fast but unto thy father which is in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly lay not up for yourself treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be also the gospel of the lord [Music] us you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen so good to see many of you this evening and we had a great crowd at 12 p.m so it began it feels like we're starting lent as we should be welcome to those of you who are with us online so our lenten journey begins with a simple yet dramatic symbolic action something we couldn't do last year ashes placed on our foreheads in the sign of the cross with words that echo the words of god to a adam and eve in the story of the fall dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return and what is this ash the product of a chemical reaction that results in carbon it is easy to think that this ash this carbon is worthless and that by extension the marking of our forehead somehow reminds us that we are worthless but this is not so first carbon is the element found in all known life forms and is the second largest element found in the human body in essence it is the stuff of which we are made all life on this planet plants and animals depend on this sixth element of the periodic table and carbon exists in our planet in different forms so that what we see here today as mere ash also has the potential to become the most precious form of carbon on the planet formed by intense heat and pressure inside the earth itself yes to create a diamond dust can become glorious so my friends lent begins not simply with a reminder of our mortality but also that our lives are filled with potential that we can seek change to turn around our lives which of course is the very meaning of the word repentance now the ashes are marked on our forehead in the sign of a cross and to those who do not believe it is a symbol of death but to us the transformation of dust into glory this signing of the cross with ash will remind us that our lives are in fact full of worth because we live in hope jesus god's son came among us and died on a cross to reconcile the whole world to himself on a day when we recall our sinfulness we also recall that our god is not a vengeful god but a god who is moved with compassion out of love for us for you and for me who are made in his image speaking of god's compassion henry nauen says this compassion is such a deep central and powerful emotion in jesus that it can only be described as a movement of the womb of god there all the divine tenderness and gentleness lies hidden when jesus was moved to compassion the source of all life trembled the ground of all love burst open and the abyss of god's immense inexhaustible and unfathomable tenderness revealed itself amazing words when jesus was moved with compassion the source of all life trembled how is this possible through jesus god in christ entered our world and shared all that it was to be human he experienced all emotions all fears and all hopes in the incarnation god made himself vulnerable for our sake as he had created adam from the dust of the earth so he takes that dust that carbon for himself god came close to us when we were afraid to come close to him in his book love's endeavor loves expense w.h van stone says the activity of the creator in the world must be precarious it's crazy but that's how much god loves us loves you and me that the creator of the universe yearns to be precarious for a moment and in a few moments we will be able to have the ash placed once again on our foreheads however we must remember that this is a mark of the beginning of our lenten journey it's not an end in itself you can't go away not bother coming back to least today at the end of our lenten journey yes we will celebrate the precariousness of god's love when we commemorate the passion and death of jesus christ in which he reversed the consequences of sin and afforded us hopeful living his cold lifeless body was placed in a tomb but the carbon of which his body was made was transfigured transformed and glorified on the third day yes my friends even though it's the beginning of lent we know the end of the story so ash wednesday as well as being a penitential day is a beautiful day if you like the first day of spring for the christian because the ash reminds us not just of death but of hope of glory as some paul says writing to the philippians we await a savior the lord jesus christ who will change our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body dust and glory let me share with you one of gerard manly hopkins greatest poems possibly his greatest written just the year before his untimely death as he reflected on his mortality after a period of great depression in it he contrasts the carbon of which we mortals are made which he describes as matchwood but how the resurrection changes everything cloud puffball torn tufts tossed pillows flaunt forth then chevy on an air built thoroughfare heaven roysters and gay gangs they throng they glitter in marches down rough cast down dazzling whitewash wherever an elm arches shive lights and shadow tackle in long lashes lace lance and pear delightfully the bright wind boisterous ropes wrestles beats earth bear of yes to tempest creases in pool and rut peel parches squandering ooze to squeezed dough crust dust staunches starches squadron masks and man marks treadmire toil there foot fretted in it million fueled nature's bonfire burns on but quench her bonniest dearest to her her clearest selved spark man how fast his fire didn't his mark on mind is gone both are in an unfathomable all is in an enormous dark drowned o pity and indignation man shape that sean shear off de several a star death blots black out nor mark is any of him at all so stark but vastness blurs and time beats level enough the resurrection a heart's clarion away griefs gasping joyless days dejection across my founding deck sean a beacon an eternal beam flesh fade and mortal trash fall to the residuary worm worlds wildfire leave but ash in a flash at a trumpet crash i am all at once what christ is since he was what i am and this jack joke poor potsherd patch matchwood immortal diamond is immortal diamond foreign [Music] foreign [Music] is [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] he must [Music] foreign [Music] dear people of god the first christians observed with great devotion the days of our lord's passion and resurrection and season of penitence and fasting this season of lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for holy baptism it was also a time when those who because of notorious sins had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness and restored to the fellowship of the church thereby the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the gospel of our savior and of the need which all christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith i invite you therefore in the name of the church to the observance of a holy land by self-examination and repentance by prayer fasting and alms giving and by reading and meditating on god's holy word and to make a right beginning of repentance and as a mark of our mortal nature let us now kneel before the lord our maker and redeemer let us pray that god will bless these ashes as a token of our repentance almighty god thou has created us out of the dust of the earth grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence that we may remember that it is only by thy gracious gift that we are given everlasting life through jesus christ our savior remember thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return turn away from sin and be faithful unto christ remember that thou art dust unto dust thou shalt return turn away from sin be faithful unto christ remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return turn away from sin and be faithful unto christ remember that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return turn away from sin and be faithful unto christ [Music] yes oh [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so please [Music] is [Music] so [Music] school [Music] ah [Music] foreign [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] my [Music] me [Music] [Music] hmm bless me [Music] is [Music] oh let us humbly confess our sins unto almighty god most holy and merciful father we confess to thee and to one another and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth that we have sinned by our own fault in thought word and deed by what we have done and by what we have left under we have not loved thee with our whole heart and mind and strength we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves we have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven have mercy on us lord we have been deaf to thy call to serve as christ hath served us we have not been true to the mind of christ we have grieved thy holy spirit have mercy on us lord we confess to thee lord all our past unfaithfulness the pride hypocrisy and impatience of our lives we confess to you lord our self-indulgent appetites and ways and our exploitation of other people we confess to thee our anger at our own frustration and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts and our dishonesty in daily life and work our negligence in prayer and worship and our failure to commend the faith that is in us confess to thee accept our repentance lord for the wrongs we have done for our blindness to human need and suffering and our indifference to injustice and cruelty for all false judgments for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us accept our repentance lord for our waste and pollution of thy creation and our lack of concern for those who come after us accept our repentance lord restore us good lord and let thine anger depart from us hear us for thy mercy is great accomplish in us the work of thy salvation in the world by the cross and passion of thy only son our lord bring us with all thy saints to the joy of his resurrection almighty god the father of our lord jesus christ who desireth not the death of a sinner but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live and hath given power and commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people being penitent the absolution and remission of their sins he pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent and unfaintly believe his holy gospel wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance and his holy spirit that those things may please him which we do at this present and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy through jesus christ our lord amen since we are justified by faith we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ who has given us access to his grace the peace of the lord be always with you walk in love as christ has loved us and gave himself for us an offering and sacrifice to god hmm [Music] foreign [Music] so foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] so [Music] so [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] the lord be with you [Music] lift up your hearts [Music] let us give thanks unto our lord god [Music] it is very neat right and abound and duty that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto thee oh lord holy father almighty god who dastbid thy faithful people cleanse their hearts and prepare with joy for the paschal feast that fervent in prayer and in works of mercy and renewed by thy word and sacraments they may come to the fullness of grace which thou hast prepared for those who love thee therefore with angels and dark angels and with all the company of heaven we lord and magnify thy glorious name evermore praising thee and saying [Music] is [Music] hey [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] hello [Music] so all glory be to thee almighty god our heavenly father for that thou of thy tender mercy did to give thine only son jesus christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption who made there by his one oblation of himself once offered a full perfect and sufficient sacrifice oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world and did institute and in his holy gospel command us to continue a perpetual memory of that his precious death and sacrifice until his coming again for in the night in which he was betrayed he took bread and when he had given thanks he break 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 likewise after supper he took the cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink ye all of this for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me wherefore o lord and heavenly father according to the institution of thy dearly beloved son our savior jesus christ we thy humble servants do celebrate and make here before thy divine majesty with these thy holy gifts which we now offer unto thee the memorial thy son hath commanded us to make having in remembrance his blessed passion and precious death his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension rendering unto thee most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits procured to unto us by the same and we most humbly beseech thee o merciful father to hear us and of thy almighty goodness vouchsafe to bless and sanctify with thy word and holy spirit these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine that we receiving them according to thy son our savior jesus christ holy institution in remembrance of his death and passion may be partakers of his most blessed body and blood and we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving most humbly beseeching thee to grant that by the merits and death of thy son jesus christ and through faith in his blood we and all thy whole church may obtain remission of our sins and all other benefits of his passion and here we offer and present unto thee oh lord ourselves our souls and bodies to be a reasonable holy and living sacrifice unto thee humbly beseeching thee that we and all others who shall be partakers of this holy communion may worthily receive the most precious body and blood of thy son jesus christ be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction and made one body with him that he may dwell in us and we in him and although we are unworthy through our manifold sins to offer unto thee any sacrifice yet we beseech thee to accept this our bound in duty and service not weighing our merits but pardoning our offenses through jesus christ our lord by whom and with whom and in whom in the unity of the holy ghost all honor and glory be unto thee oh father almighty world without and [Music] and now as our savior christ hath taught us we are bold to say 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 christ our passover is sacrificed for us oh [Music] yes [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] please [Music] we do not presume to come to this thy table o merciful lord trusting in our own righteousness but in thy manifold and great mercies we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table but thou art the same lord whose property is always to have mercy grant us therefore gracious lord so to eat the flesh of my dear son jesus christ and to drink his blood that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body and our souls washed through his most precious blood and that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us amen behold the lamb of god behold him that taketh away the sins of the world blessed are those who are called to his supper lord you're not worthy thou shalt come under my roof but speak the word only and my soul shall be healed i invite all those who are with us wherever you may be around the world to join us and make an act of spiritual communion with jesus inviting him under your roof and into your heart the body of christ bring me to everlasting life and the blood of christ bring me to everlasting [Music] me [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] so ah me [Music] foreign [Music] foreign so so [Music] oh foreign [Music] [Music] let us pray almighty and ever living god we most heartily thank thee for that thou dost feed us in these holy mysteries with the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of thy son our savior jesus christ and dost assure us thereby of thy favor and goodness towards us and that we are very members in corporate in the mystical body of thy son the blessed company of all faithful people also airs through hope thy everlasting kingdom and we humbly beseech thee a heavenly father so to assist us with thy grace that we may continue in that holy fellowship and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in through jesus christ our lord to whom with thee the holy ghost thou honor in glory world without end amen bow down before the lord grant most merciful lord to thy faithful people pardon and peace that they may be cleansed from all their sins and serve thee with a quiet mind through christ our lord amen go in peace to love and serve the lord thanks be to god you

Channel: Saint Thomas Church 5th Avenue

Views: 469

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Id: veqoBt-Lz28

Length: 107min 25sec (6445 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 03 2022