Saint Edmund, Chingford
Eucharist: Ash Wednesday
Wednesday 5 March 2025 20.00

The Gathering

The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit:
a broken and contrite heart you will not despise.

We are always a broken body
but we are the body of Christ.
With the faithful who go before us
we are the body of Christ.
In Christ is our unity.
In Christ is our wholeness.
Thanks be to God.

To close the spaces between ourselves and God
begins with compassion for our vulnerable selves
as a sign that we have faith that God is indeed gracious.
In this spirit of compassion
we will today dare to remember our own truths,
honour our grieving, angers, pain and fears,
claim our dignity,
cherish ourselves and celebrate our existence,
believing that we are embraced by a goodness and love
which is within and beyond ourselves,
in each other and in God.

Silent reflection.

Introduction

The meaning of Lent is explained.

Why is Lent so important for the Church?
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
since early days Christians have observed with great devotion
the time of our Lord’s passion and resurrection
and prepared for this by a season of penitence and fasting.

Why is Lent so important for the Church?
By careful keeping these days,
Christians take to heart the call to repentance
and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel,
and so grow in faith and in devotion to our Lord.

How can I best use this season?
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church,
to the observance of a holy Lent,
by self-examination and repentance:
by prayer, fasting, and self-denial;
and by reading and meditating on God’s holy word.

Holy God,
holy and strong,
holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

As the song is sung the burnt palm crosses are crushed and prepared as ash.

The Collect

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.
Amen.

Old Testament Reading

A reading from the book of the prophet Joel.

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near—
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.

Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
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;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
gather the people.
 
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.

Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep.
Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O LORD,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
“Where is their God?” ’

New Testament Reading

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

We entreat 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.

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,
‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Hymn

Forty days and forty nights
thou wast fasting in the wild;
forty days and forty nights
tempted, and yet undefiled:

Sunbeams scorching all the day;
chilly dew-drops nightly shed;
prowling beasts about thy way;
stones thy pillow, earth thy bed.

Shall not we thy sorrow share,
and from earthly joys abstain,
fasting with unceasing prayer,
glad with thee to suffer pain?

And if Satan, vexing sore,
flesh or spirit should assail,
thou, his vanquisher before,
grant we may not faint nor fail.

So shall we have peace divine;
holier gladness ours shall be;
round us too shall angels shine,
such as ministered to thee.

Keep, O keep us, Saviour dear,
ever constant by thy side;
that we thee we may appear
at the eternal Eastertide.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus said to the disciples, ‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever 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 whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

The Liturgy of Penitence

Let us now call to mind our sin and the infinite mercy of God.

God the Father,
have mercy on us.

God the Son,
have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.

Trinity of love,
have mercy on us.

Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.

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.
Lord, have mercy.

We have been deaf 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.
Lord, have mercy.

We confess to you, Lord …
all our past unfaithfulness:
the pride, hypocrisy and impatience of our lives.
Lord, have mercy.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways,
and our exploitation of other people.
Lord, have mercy.

Our anger at our own frustration
and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves.
Lord, have mercy.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts
and our dishonesty in daily life and work.
Lord, have mercy.

Our negligence in prayer and worship
and our failure to commend the faith that is in us.
Lord, have mercy.

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.
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgements,
for uncharitable thoughts towards our neighbours
and for our prejudice and contempt towards those who differ from us.
Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation
and our lack of concern for those who come after us.
Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us.
Favourably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
that we may show your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Silence is kept during which the congregation come up and place a stone to represent our failings, at the foot of the Lenten cross.

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 alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Psalm 51

The Impositions of Ashes

Dear friends in Christ,
I invite you to receive these ashes
as a sign of the spirit of penitence
with which we shall keep this season of Lent.
God our Father,
you create us from the dust of the earth:
grant that these ashes 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.
Amen.

The priest and people receive the ashes with the words

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.

At the end the ash is placed at the foot of the Lenten tree.

The Lord enrich you with his grace,
and nourish you with his blessing;
the Lord defend you in trouble and keep you from all evil;
the Lord accept your prayers,
and absolve you from your offences,
for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
Amen.

The Peace

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.
And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

All may exchange a sign of peace.

Hymn

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways!
Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
beside the Syrian sea,
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.

O Sabbath rest by Galilee!
O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!

Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!

The Preparation of the Table

The table is prepared and bread and wine are placed upon it.

Here we will bring the ordinary things of life,
the bread and wine and gifts which lie in the midst of humanness.
Receive them, loving God,
and add them to your holiness and wholeness.
Amen.

The Eucharistic Prayer

Christ be with you
and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.

We praise and thank you, Holy God,
for the rain that falls on the just and on the unjust,
for your respecting of the struggles of your creation, even our struggles, and the ripples of your grace which flow forth eternity in all that is.

God in the torn apart, God in the wholeness,
God in the emptiness, God in the fullness,
you are God with us in everlasting faithfulness.

And so we praise you with the faithful of every time and place,
joining with the whole creation in the eternal hymn:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

Accept our praises, heavenly Father,
through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and as we follow his example and obey his command,
grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit
these gifts of bread and wine
may be to us his body and his blood;

who, in the same night that he was betrayed,
took bread and gave you thanks;
he 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, after supper
he took the cup and gave you thanks;
he gave it to them, saying:
Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Therefore, heavenly Father,
we remember his offering of himself
made once for all upon the cross;
we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension;
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.

Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.

Accept through him, our great high priest,
this our sacrifice of thanks and praise,
and as we eat and drink these holy gifts
in the presence of your divine majesty,
renew us by your Spirit, inspire us with your love
and unite us in the body of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through him, and with him, and in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
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

Lord Jesus, remember us in your kingdom
and teach us to pray.

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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

The president breaks the consecrated bread.

The bread we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.
The cup we take is a sharing in the life-blood of Christ.
For as Christ shares our brokenness, so we share in God’s wholeness.
As life is poured out in costly love,
so eternal grace is there for us and for all people.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Amen.

Agnus Dei

Lamb of God
you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God
you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God
you take away the sin of the world
grant us peace.

Giving of Communion

Jesus is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world.
Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.

Prayer after Communion

We give thanks together.

Almighty God,
you have given your only Son to be for us
both a sacrifice for sin
and also an example of godly life:
give us grace
that we may always most thankfully receive
these his inestimable gifts,
and also daily endeavour
to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

God of our pilgrimage,
you have fed us with the bread of heaven.
Refresh and sustain us
as we go forward on our journey,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Hymn

Just as I am, without one plea
but that thy Blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am (thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down)
now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Responsory

This is love, not that we loved God,
but that he loved us and sent his Son.
He is the sacrifice for our sins,
that we might live through him.
If God loves us so much
we ought to love one another.
If we love one another
God lives in us.

The Blessing

May God the Father,
who does not despise the broken spirit,
give to you a contrite heart.
Amen.

May Christ,
who bore our sins in his body on the tree,
heal you by his wounds.
Amen.

May the Holy Spirit,
who leads us into all truth,
speak to you words of pardon and peace.
Amen.

And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.

The Dismissal

Go in the peace of Christ.
Thanks be to God.

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council (2000)

Hymns

Forty Days And Forty Nights, by George Hunt Smyttan (1822-1870) & Francis Pott (1832-1909)

Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind, by John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892

Just As I Am Without One Plea, by Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871)

All Public domain