Sunday Bulletin

PRELUDE           “Jesus, My Heart’s Delight” J.S. Bach

HYMN              “Rock of Ages, Cleft For Me”                #214

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Gentle and holy God, we acknowledge to you, to one another, and to
ourselves that we are not what you have called us to be.  We seek to
lay up treasure on earth, while neglecting permanent values and
selfless commitment to causes greater than ourselves. Forgive us,
we pray, and restore us. Amen.                                                                                

DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS

IMPOSITION OF ASHES
All those who would like to receive the ashes are invited to come forward at this time.

ANTHEM “Create in Me, O God” Johannes Brahms

SCRIPTURE LESSON Isaiah 58:1-12

MESSAGE

A STATEMENT OF FAITH
We are not alone. We live in God’s world. 
We believe in God: who has created and is creating, 
who has come in Jesus, the word made flesh, 
to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We
trust in God. We are called to be the church: to celebrate God’s presence,
to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus,
 crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond
death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God! 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Leader: Lord, in your mercy, 
All: Hear our prayer.

THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

WORDS OF REMEMBRANCE

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

SHARING OF THE BREAD AND CUP
Please come forward at the direction of the ushers.

COMMUNION MUSIC
“Communion on Two American Folk Songs”                  Alice Jordan

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Bountiful God, we give you thanks that you have refreshed us at your
table by granting us the presence of Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase
our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and
peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

HYMN              “Just as I Am, Without one Plea”                #339

BLESSING

POSTLUDE “I Need Thee Every Hour”                      arr. Dale Wood

OUR LENTEN JOURNEY 
The season of Lent is an invitation to face, in a deeper sense, the Gospel story
of death and resurrection - Jesus’ and our own. Lent is a time of repentance,
fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination
and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for
baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing
to give up something or volunteering and giving of themselves for others. The
forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness prior to the beginning
of his ministry. 

REFLECTION
"Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten journey to Jerusalem. The way is often desert,
but the destination holds most meaning for those who make the trip.  And since the
way is often desert, it is best not to journey alone."    - Fred Craddock