Join us in prayer as we mark Ash Wednesday. The Rev. Helen Dunn presides and preaches.
A pdf of the bulletin is available here.
The text of bulletin is copied here:
7:30pm Choral Eucharist
THE BOOK of ALTERNATIVE SERVICES
Gathering of the Community
Introit: Kyrie (Gregorian Chant)
Presider :The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Collect
Presider Let us pray (silence)
Almighty and everlasting God,
All you despise nothing you have made
and forgive the sins of all who are penitent.
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our brokenness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Proclamation of the Word
First Reading Isaiah 58:1-12
Reader: The word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
The Psalm: Psalm 103:8-14 Plainsong
The Lord knows whereof we are made; He remembers that we are but dust
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
He will not always accuse us,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our sins from us.
As a father cares for his children,
so does the Lord care for those who fear him.
For he himself knows whereof we are made;
he remembers that we are but dust.
Antiphon
Second Reading 2 Corinthians 5:20b — 6:10
Reader: The word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Sequence Hymn Restore in Us, O God (CP 178)
Text: Carl P. Daw, Jr. (1944 –); Music: Bellwoods; James Hopkirk (1908 – 1972); Bellwoods
Deacon The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Deacon The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Before the Gospel Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Matthew 6:1-6,16-21
Deacon The Gospel of Christ.
After the Gospel Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily The Rev. Helen Dunn
Silence for Reflection
After the homily, all stand.
The Presider invites the people to the observance of a holy Lent, saying:
Presider Dear friends in Christ,
every year at the time of the Christian Passover
we celebrate our redemption through the death
and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration
and to renew our life in the paschal mystery.
We begin this holy season by remembering our need for repentance,
and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes, an ancient sign,
speaking of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,
and marking the penitence of the community as a whole.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Lord,
to the observance of a holy Lent by self-examination,
penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving,
and by reading and meditating on the word of God.
Let us kneel before our Creator and Redeemer.
Silence for reflection
Litany of Penitence
All are invited to kneel; the Presider & People say together:
All Most holy and merciful Father,
we confess to you, 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 undone.
Presider We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
All Have mercy on us, Lord.
Presider We have not listened to your call to serve, as Christ served us.
We have not been true to the mind of Christ.
We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
All Have mercy on us, Lord.
Presider We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness:
the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
All We confess to you, Lord.
Presider Our self-indulgent appetites and ways,
and our exploitation of other people,
All We confess to you, Lord.
Presider Our anger at our own frustration,
and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
All We confess to you, Lord.
Presider Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts,
and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
All We confess to you, Lord.
Presider Our negligence in prayer and worship,
and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,
All We confess to you, Lord.
Presider Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done:
for our failure to attend to human need and suff ering,
and our indiff erence to injustice and cruelty,
All Accept our repentance, Lord.
Presider For all false judgements,
for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbours,
and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who diff er from us,
All Accept our repentance, Lord.
Presider For our waste and pollution of your creation,
and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
All Accept our repentance, Lord.
Presider Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;
All Favourably hear us, for your mercy is great.
Imposition of Ashes
Presider Almighty God, you have 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 your gracious gift
that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
All Amen.
Lenten Prose Trad. Gregorian
Choir God we implore thee, in thy glory seated: bow down and harken to thy children:
pity and pardon all our grievous trespasses.
All Hear us, O Lord, have mercy upon us:
For we have sinned against Thee.
Ashes are imposed on the forehead with these words:
“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
Then the Presider says:
Accomplish in us, O God, the work of your salvation.
All That we may show forth your glory in the world.
Presider By the cross and passion of your Son, our Lord,
All Bring us with all your saints to the joy of your resurrection.
Presider Almighty God, have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins
through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness,
and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.
All Amen.
The Peace
Please do bow with your hands folded across your heart
and say, “Peace be with you” as a sign of this important greeting.
Celebration of the Eucharist
The Offertory
You are invited to make a financial off ering to further God’s mission through the work of the church by texting “Give” to 639.739.0843 and following the instructions; or by clicking on this link thecathedral.ca/pages/give. Tax receipts are issued annually for gifts totalling $20 or more. Your fi nancial gifts matter and together with the bread and wine they are presented in spirit at the Altar as a sign of thanksgiving to God from whom all blessings flow.
If you are participating in this worship from another church please give generously to your local parish.
Offertory Hymn Come Down, O Love Divine (CP 645)
Text: Bianco da Siena (1350? –1434?); tr. Richard Frederick Littledale (1833 –1890), alt.;
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958); Down Ampney
Prayer over the Gifts
Presider Merciful God,
All turn us from sin to faithfulness.
Accept our off ering, and prepare us to celebrate
the death and resurrection of Christ our Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you now and for ever. Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving
Presider The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Presider Lift up your hearts.
All We lift them to the Lord.
Presider Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Presider Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth;
we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who was tempted in every way, yet did not sin.
By his grace we are able to triumph over every evil,
and to live no longer for ourselves alone,
but for him who died for us and rose again.
Th erefore with angels and archangels and all who have served you in every age,
we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.
Sanctus Gregorian Chant
Presider We give you thanks and praise, loving Father,
because in sending Jesus, your Son, to us
you showed us how much you love us.
He cares for the poor and the hungry.
He suffers with the sick and the rejected.
Betrayed and forsaken, he did not strike back but overcame hatred with love.
On the cross he defeated the power of sin and death.
By raising him from the dead you show us the power of your love
to bring new life to all your people.
All Glory to you for ever and ever.
Presider On the night before he gave up his life for us,
Jesus, at supper with his friends, took bread, gave thanks to you,
broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat it:
this is my body which is given for you.”
After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, said the blessing,
gave it to his friends, and said, “Drink this, all of you: this is the cup of my blood,
the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which is shed for you and for many,
so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.”
All Glory to you for ever and ever.
Presider Gracious God, with this bread and wine
we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus,
and we off er ourselves to you in him.
Send your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts,
that we may know the presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread,
and share in the life of the family of your children.
All Glory to you for ever and ever.
Presider Father, you call us to be your servants;
fill us with the courage and love of Jesus,
that all the world may gather in joy at the table of your kingdom.
We sing your praise, almighty Father, through Jesus, our Lord,
in the power of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
All Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Presider As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
All Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
Presider We break this bread.
All Communion in Christ’s body once broken.
Presider Let your Church be the wheat which bears its fruit in dying.
All If we have died with Christ, we shall live with Christ;
If we hold firm, we shall reign with Christ.
Presider Th ese are the gifts of God for the People of God.
All Thanks be to God.
Share the Gifts
If you know the brokenness of life, its fractures within and its division without, then you have
participated in the broken body of Christ and you are invited to share in Communion.
If you’re joining in via the livestream, please place your hand over your heart and say,
“Come, Lord Jesus, come.”
While the communion is being administered, we respectfully ask that you keep the silence —
this is a time for quiet prayer and meditation.
During Communion Benedictus & Angus Dei - Gregorian Chant
Sending Out of the Disciples
Presider All your works praise you, O Lord.
All And your faithful servants bless you.
Gracious God we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.
May we, who share his body, live his risen life;
we, who drink his cup, bring life to others;
we, whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world.
Keep us fi rm in the hope you have set before us,
so that we and all your children shall be free,
and the whole earth live to praise your name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing
Presider Christ give you grace to grow in holiness,
to deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow him;
and the blessing...
Closing Hymn Abide with Me (CP 24)
Text: Henry Francis Lyte (1793 – 1847); Music: William Henry Monk (1823 – 1889); Eventide
Dismissal
Deacon Lord Jesus Christ,
All You have put your life in our hands. Now we put our lives in yours.
Deacon For bread and wine, for this place and this time.
All Thanks be to God.
Deacon For the peace we are promised that this world cannot destroy
All Thanks be to God.
Deacon For the hope of heaven on earth and the fi nal song of joy.
All Thanks be to God.
Deacon Go in peace to love and serve God and God’s people
All Thanks be to God.
