Remember that you are dust,

Last Wednesday we went to the Ash Wednesday service at our church, and I was once again impressed with the hopefulness that service expresses. I'm always amazed that a service with a theme of repentence and confession, could be so refreshing and full of hope.

Two things I appreciate most during the service are: when we go forward to receive the ashes on the forehead and the prayers of confession. (By the way, if you have ever wondered where the ashes come from, they are burned palm leaves from last Palm Sunday. ) Anyway, I love the following prayer and words that are spoken when the ashes are given:

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 Savior. Amen.

The ashes are then marked on the forehead with these words,
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

This year we had Camila with us and even she received the ashes on her little head. I felt it was so appropriate to remember that not even the youngest babe is immortal and was once again reminded of the gift her precious little life was.

My second favorite part of the service is the prayers of penitence. I know that may sound crazy to some of you, but for me it is very helpful. I tend to be very practical in my thinking and not very introspective. So when it came to confessing my sins to the Lord, I've always felt like I know I'm a sinner but I'm not quite sure where to start. I also always thought that confession should be more than just a laundry list of petty sins. The first time I went to an Ash Wednesday service and experienced the section called, Litany of Penitence, I felt like I had just learned how to confess or at least been given a substantial place to begin. So, if you're curious now, I'll put the words at the end of this post.

As far as this year goes, I've decided to give up running around like crazy on Sundays. Actually its more of adding a positive to my life in the form of taking a true sabbath rest. As my friend Melissa said, if you feel like "Oh no Lord, I can't give up that", then maybe that is precisely the thing you should be giving up. Well, when I started to think about what it would mean for me to truly work at resting on Sundays and not using it as a catch up day - that's exactly how I felt. So, this Lent I hope to practice resting on Sundays and trusting the Lord that somehow I'll still get the really important things done on all the other days that already seem too short. Somehow I think it will work better than what I currently do, because God's ways don't make sense to us and then they still end up working better than we think.

Lastly, here is the litany of pentitence for those of you that just have to keep reading :)

Litany of Penitence

The Celebrant and People together, all kneeling

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you 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 undone.

The Celebrant continues

We have not loved you 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 your call to serve, as Christ served us.
We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved
your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, 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 you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those
more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and
our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to
commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.

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 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 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;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth 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.

The Bishop, if present, or the Priest, stands and, facing the people, says

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
desires not the death of sinners, but rather that they may turn
from their wickedness and live, has given power and
commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to
his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of
their sins. He pardons and absolves all those who truly
repent, and with sincere hearts believe his holy Gospel.

Therefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his
Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do on
this day, 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