ASH WEDNESDAY
EUCHARIST
2021
THE GATHERING
PLEASE STAND
President: In the
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name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy SpiritAll: Amen
The president introduces the liturgy and then prays the Collect:
Let us pray for the grace to keep Lent faithfully Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and 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 receive from you, the God of all mercy perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. All: Amen
PLEASE SIT Readings
First reading Isaiah 58:1-2 This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
PLEASE STAND
Gospel Reading
The Lord be with you. All: And also with you.
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
All: Glory to you, O Lord
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. At the end of the Gospel:
This is the Gospel of the Lord. All: Praise to you, O Christ.
The Litany.
PLEASE SIT OR KNEEL.
A period of silent recollection follows.
Let us pray. God the Father,
have mercy upon us. God the Son,
have mercy upon us. God the Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, have mercy upon us.
From all evil and mischief;
from pride, vanity and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred and malice; and from all evil intent,
good Lord, deliver us.
From sloth, worldliness and love of money; from hardness of heart
and contempt for your word and your laws, good Lord, deliver us.
From sins of body and mind;
from the deceits of the world, the flesh and the devil, good Lord, deliver us.
From famine and disaster;
from violence, murder and dying unprepared, good Lord, deliver us.
In all times of sorrow; in all times of joy; in the hour of death,
and at the day of judgement, good Lord, deliver us.
By the mystery of your holy incarnation; by your birth, childhood and obedience; by your baptism, fasting and temptation, good Lord, deliver us.
By your ministry in word and work; by your mighty acts of power;
and by your preaching of the kingdom, good Lord, deliver us.
By your agony and trial; by your cross and passion;
and by your precious death and burial, good Lord, deliver us.
By your mighty resurrection; by your glorious ascension;
and by your sending of the Holy Spirit, good Lord, deliver us.
Help and comfort the lonely, the bereaved and the oppressed. Lord, have mercy.
Heal the sick in body and mind,
and provide for the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. Lord, have mercy.
Show your pity on prisoners and refugees, and all who are in trouble.
Lord, have mercy.
Hear us as we remember
those who have died in the peace of Christ, both those who have confessed the faith and those whose faith is known to you alone,
and grant us with them a share in your eternal kingdom. Lord, have mercy.
Give us true repentance;
forgive us our sins of negligence and ignorance and our deliberate sins;
and grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit
to amend our lives according to your holy word. Holy God,
holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy upon us.
Make our hearts clean, O God; And renew a right spirit within us. Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
We have sinned against you and against our neighbour, In what we have thought,
In what we have said and done.
Through ignorance, through weakness, Through our own deliberate fault. We have wounded your love, And marred your image in us. We are sorry and ashamed, And repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, Who died for us,
Forgive us all that is past;
And lead us out from darkness To walk as children of light. Amen. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
PLEASE STAND
As a sign of the spirit of penitence with which we shall keep this season of preparation for Easter, I invite you to receive on your head in ash the sign of the cross, the symbol of our salvation. Let us now pray for God’s blessing upon these ashes.
President: God our Father,
you create us from the dust of the earth:
bless
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these ashes, that they may be for us a sign of our penitence and a symbol of our mortality; for it is by your grace alone that we receive eternal life in Jesus Christ our saviour.All: Amen
President: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.
All: Amen.
You are invited to come forward to receive a sprinkling of ash from our burned palm crosses. The imposition of ashes takes place in silence.
President: God our Father,
The strength of all who put their trust in you, Mercifully accept our prayers;
And because, in our weakness,
We can do nothing good without you, Grant us the help of your grace,
That in keeping your commandments We may please you, both in will and deed; Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT
The Peace
The president introduces the peace, and says
The peace of the Lord be always with you. All: And also with you.
Deacon: Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
All exchange a sign of peace with those around them.
The Preparation of the Altar
The president says a prayer over the gifts of bread and wine, to which all respond: Amen
The Eucharistic Prayer
President: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you. President: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them to the Lord.
President: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All: It is right to give thanks and praise.
The president prays the preface, concluding:
…we proclaim your great and glorious name, For ever praising you and saying/singing: Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
The president continues the Eucharistic prayer:
…we look for the coming of your kingdom, And with this bread and this cup
We make the memorial of Christ your Son our Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord:
Lord, by your cross and resurrection You have set us free.
You are the Saviour of the world.
The Eucharistic Prayer continues, with the following conclusion: …with all who stand before you in earth and heaven,
we worship you, Father almighty, in songs of everlasting praise:
Blessing and honour and glory and power Be yours for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
All: 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, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The president breaks the bread, saying:
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. All: Though we are many we are one body,
because we all share in the one bread. Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
The Invitation
The president invites the people to receive Holy Communion, saying:
Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you. Eat and drink
in remembrance that he died for you, and feed on him in your hearts
by faith with thanksgiving. All We do not presume
to come to this your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness,
whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, Gracious Lord,
so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ and to drink his blood,
that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body and our hands washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
Communion is administered in silence.
Prayer after Communion
PLEASE STAND
The president prays the Post Communion prayer and we then pray together:
All: Father of all,
We give you thanks and praise, That when we were still far off
You met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love,
Gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory.
May we who share Christ’s 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 firm in the hope that you have set before us, So we and all your children shall be free,
And the whole earth live to praise your name; Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE DISMISSAL
President: The Lord be with you All: and also with you
The Blessing.
Deacon Go in the peace of Christ All Thanks be to God.
Introduction to the liturgy, invitation to the imposition and blessing of ashes – Reproduced from Lent, Holy Week, Easter: Services and Prayers, which is copyright © the Central Board of Finance of the Church of England, 1984, 1986.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © the Archbishops’ Council 2000.
