Worship on Ash Wednesday
Welcome to worship at King of Glory Worship and Ministry Center in Carmel, IN!
On this Ash Wednesday, as we remember that we will return to the dust from which we were created, let us worship the one who guides us, just piles of dust, to our spiritual destiny!
If you are able, we invite you to join us for communion where you are! You may use any kind of bread and either wine or grape juice, so that you may also receive the body and blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.
For the full order of worship, please go to https://cdn.subsplash.com/documents/3MJJJC/_source/e85484d6-5b3b-4ad9-bea2-9bfd82452074/document.pdf
Today's Songs:
- "Just As I Am, Without One Plea" (ELW 592)
- "Abide With Me" (ELW 629, vs 1, 2 & 5)
Today's Readings:
- Psalm 51
- Isaiah 53:4-12
- John 3:1-16
Today's Message
- “Voices of the Passion”
- "Nicodemus: The Jewish Believer" - Rev. Steve Albertin
- During Lent and Holy Week, we revisit the story of Jesus’ suffering and death as told from the perspective of various characters in the drama of Jesus’ passion. As they speak to us, we will discover how their story is also our story. We were there. We participated. We are the ultimate beneficiaries of the greatest story ever told. Today, we hear from Nicodemus.
Don't forget, you can give your offering online at https://kogcarmel.org/give
We invite you to join us every Sunday at 10am! During Lent, we'll also gather on for mid-week worship and prayer at 7pm on Wednesdays.
Go in peace and serve the Lord!
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Some content courtesy of Worship Audio Tracks and Igniter Media.
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Ash Wednesday is named for the practice of imposing ashes. The use of ashes as a sign of repentance is an ancient practice, often mentioned in Scripture (for examples, see Job 42:6, Jeremiah 6:26, and Matthew 11:21). The early Christian church accepted the use of ashes from Jewish practice as an external mark of penitence.
Why use such an ancient symbol now? In our time ashes symbolize several aspects of our human experience. First, ashes remind us of God’s condemnation of sin—as God said to Adam, “Dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
Second, ashes suggest cleansing and renewal. Ashes were used anciently in the absence of soap, and on Ash Wednesday the ashes are a penitential substitute for water as a reminder of our Baptism. Just as water both drowns and refreshes, so too ashes are a symbol of both death and renewal (as fields are sometimes burned in the spring to prepare for new growth.)
Third, ashes remind us of the shortness of human life—as we say at the time of burial of dead, “We commit his/her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” The imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday is a reminder that one day those words will be said over our bodies.
Finally, ashes are a symbol of repentance. The imposition of ashes following the confession on Ash Wednesday is a sign that we have confessed our sinfulness, an outward sign of inward penitence, as well as a sign that we are dying and ourselves turning to ashes.