Ash Wednesday
February 17, 2010

With thanks to page sponsor:
Pastor S. Blake Duncan+
Peace Lutheran Church
Steeleville, Illinois
(0910)

Click on Scripture Lessons below for study links and resources:

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
Roman Catholic reading: Joel 2:12-18
United Methodist reading: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17  

Psalm 51:1-17
Roman Catholic reading: Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17

2 Corinthians 5:20b - 6:10
Roman Catholic reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Roman Catholic reading: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Reading and Studying the Text This Week

• Texts:
  • Illustrated lectionary readings at Vanderbilt Divinity Library: Year A, Year B, Year C.
  • Roman Catholic Lectionary Readings from the New American Bible.
  • The Roman Catholic Lectionary for Mass (1998 USA Edition). At Felix Just S.J.'s The Roman Catholic Lectionary For Mass - a site featuring comprehensive tables of editions of the Roman Catholic Lectionary.
  • Lectionary readings from the Episcopal Lectionary.
• Images and Movies:
  • Images listed at The Text This Week's Art Concordance:
    • Last Judgment
  • Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
    • Prayer
    • Fasting
    • Integrity
    • Repentance
    • Reconciliation
    • Redemption
    • Salvation/Saving
    • Determination
    • Grace
    • Endurance
• Commentary, Exegesis & Sermon Preparation (see also listings at individual scripture pages, linked in listings at top of page):
  • Preaching This Week at WorkingPreacher.org, Luther Seminary, 2010. Commentaries on lectionary readings by Beth Tanner, James Limburg, Paul S. Berge, Craig R. Koester. 2009 Commentaries.
  • Preaching Helps (Ash Wednesday, 2009). United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • "Green" Ash Wednesday, Paul Nuechterlein, Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary.
  • Preaching Peace commentary, Jeff Krantz & Michael Hardin.
  • Process and Faith Lectionary Commentary, Ash Wednesday, 2007, Ignacio Castuera, "...bringing process-relational thought to people of faith."
  • John Shearman's Lectionary, Ash Wednesday, 2010, Post-Modern Sermon and Bible Study Resource, Oakville, ON, Canada.
  • Lectionary Study, Ash Wednesday C, Dr. Robert Linthicum, Partners in Urban Transformation.
  • SAMUEL, Ash Wednesday, 2009, at ucc.org: lectionary citations, weekly theme, lectionary texts, commentary and bulletin back page.
  • "Stepping Out on the Journey," The Practice of Jesus, Bill Fletcher, Aotearoa-New Zealand, 2009.
  • Ash Wednesday, Wikipedia.
  • Ash Wednesday, The Catholic Encyclopedia.
  • Resources for Ash Wednesday at Bass Mitchell's Special Days Resources collection. Sermons, services, childrens sermons, exegesis, illustrations, and more.
  • Ash Wednesday: An Online Handbook.
• Lists of recommended articles are available with ATLAS subscription for these texts:
  • Joel 2:1-17 / Isaiah 58:1-12
  • Psalm 51
  • 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
  • Matthew 6:1-21
• Lectionary Reflections, Discussions & Weblogs:
  • "Reconciled Living," Walter Brueggemann, "An Answering God," Sojourners, 2010.
  • "Marked by Ashes," poetry by Walter Brueggemann, journeywithjesus.net.
  • "Remember," Barbara Crafton, The Almost Daily emo, 2009.
  • "Smudges on the Soul: A Meditation for Ash Wednesday," Safiyah Fosua, United Methodist Church GBOD.
  • Cultural Resource, Ash Wednesday, Nessette Falu, The African American Lectionary, 2009.
  • Sermon Brainwave. Lectionary podcast featuring Profs. Karoline Lewis, David Lose and Rolf Jacobson, discussing the week's passages in light of current events. At Luther Seminary's WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
  • Lectionary Haikus, Ash Wednesday, 2009, Christopher Gudger-Raines.
  • "A Desert in the Oasis," Blogging toward Wednesday, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Theolog: The Blog of The Christian Century, 2009.
  • Ash Wednesday Reflections, 2009: The Acknowledgement of Sin, the Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua, United Methodist Church GBOD.
  • "Repentance Is For Everyone," Jacki Belile, Valerie Bridgeman, Tat-Siong Benny Liew, Out In Scripture: An Honest Encounter Between Our Lives and the Bible, Human Rights Campaign, 2009. (LGBT perspective)
  • "The Humility of Dust," Jason Byassee, Faith and Leadership, 2009.
  • Ash Wednesday, Ann Fontaine, What the Tide Brings In, 2005.
  • "The Artful Ashes," Jan Richardson, The Painted Prayerbook, 2009.
  • "Listen / Ting," reflection on Chinese calligraphy for Lent by Rev. Elyn MacInnis in Shanghai, China. ECUSA Anglican and Global Relations.
  • Lectionary Study, Ash Wednesday, Dr. Robert Linthicum, Partners in Urban Transformation, 2009.
  • "Super Tuesday Meets Ash Wednesday: First Sunday in Lent 2008," The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation, 2008.
  • "Ashes of Creation," Daniel Deffenbaugh, Seeds of Shalom, 2008.
  • "Making Ash Wednesday Accessible for Children," Taylor Burton-Edwards, United Methodist Church GBOD.
  • "Outward Acts and Inner Dispositions: Ash Wednesday 2006," The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation.
  • "Remorse and Hope," Susan B.W. Johnson, The Christian Century, 1997.
  • "Ashes and Weeping," Jane Carol Redmont, "Proclaiming Gospel Justice," The Witness, 2005.
  • "The Most Uncomfortable Day of the Year," Byron L. Rohrig, The Christian Century, 1987. At Religion Online.
  • Reflection on Lent, (Southern Hemisphere), Rev. Bosco Peters, New Zealand.
• Sermons:
  • Ash Wednesday, Revd Kristin Ofstad, Thurso United Reformed Church, 2009.
  • Selected Sermon, Ash Wednesday (RCL), the Rev. J. Barrington Bates, in Worship that Works, ECUSA, 2009.
  • "A Look at Our Piety," Walter Harms, Ash Wednesday, 2007, Goettinger Predigten: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
  • Ash Wednesday Sermon, Dr. Elizabeth Huwiler, Lutheran Theological Seminary Chapel, 2005.
  • "Give It Up!" Dianne Bergant, CSA, America: The National Catholic Weekly, 2003.
  • "Ash Wednesday," John R. Donahue, SJ, America: The National Catholic Weekly, 2000.
• Group Studies & Discussion/Reflection Questions:
  • Lectionary Notes, Ash Wednesday A, Ash Wednesday B, Rev. Beth Quick and the Lectionary Chat Group Bible Study of St. Paul's UMC, Oneida, NY.
  • Proclaiming Faith, Ash Wednesday, 2009 - exploring the Sunday and Holy Day readings - reflections and young people's activities. Sadlier Publishing.
  • Bible Study - Ash Wednesday - verse by verse Roman Catholic lectionary commentary at St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS.
• A list of links to on-line Bibles and general Bible study resources.
• A list of links to scholarly and preaching discussion groups and their homepages. 
• A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.

OnLine Worship and Liturgy Resources

• Resources and Images on The Text This Week's Lenten Resources page.
• Lent and Easter links at Rev. Richard J. Fairchild's A Holy Easter.
• Complete Liturgies (including hymns & prayers):
  • Worship Planning Helps (Ash Wednesday, 2009): Worship & Preaching Notes, Hymn Suggestions and Worship Resources from the United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • A Contemporary Service for Ash Wednesday, Taylor Burton-Edwards, UMC GBOD.
  • Gathering, Ash Wednesday, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc, 2010. (Terms of Use)
  • Worship Resources, February, 2010, Free Resources, Cokesbury Worship Connection.
  • "See! Now Is the Acceptable Time, Part 1: Ash Wednesday Service," UCC Worship Ways, 2010.
  • LCA Worship Resources, Ash Wednesday, includes liturgy, hymn suggestions, notes on the readings, visuals, drama, "Talking with Children," etc. Lutheran Church of Australia.
  • Ash Wednesday Music & Worship Resources, Edythe Poole, The African American Lectionary, 2009.
  • "A Service of Ashes," Process & Faith.
  • Lectionary Worship Resources, Ash Wednesday, John van de Laar, Sacredise.
  • An Order of Worship for Ash Wednesday, John Paarlberg, Reformed Church in America.
  • Worship Resources, Ash Wednesday, 2009, Free Resources, Cokesbury Worship Connection.
  • "Mystery and Mercy of Repentance," Ash Wednesday, Metropolitan Community Churches, 2008.
  • Many Ash Wednesday services and Worship Resources by Lisa Frenz, Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, Portland, OR. (Scroll down to Ash Wednesday index.)
  • Worship Well Liturgy Online: Ash Wednesday Worship, General Lent Liturgy, Ash Wednesday Preparing for Renewal Liturgy (Catechumenate), Rev. Bosco Peters, New Zealand.
  • Communion for the Beginning of Lent, Dennis Bratcher, Christian Resource Institute (Church of the Nazarene).
  • "Ash Wednesday," The Practice of Jesus, Bill Fletcher, Aotearoa-New Zealand, 2009.
  • "Sermon and Liturgy for Ash Wednesday", Richard J. Fairchild, United Church of Canada.
  • "Away with All Masks," Liturgy Alive, Ash Wednesday, Claretian Publications, Inc., Philippines.
  • Liturgy for Burying the Alleluia and Liturgy for Ash Wednesday, Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
  • Resources for Ash Wednesday at Bass Mitchell's Special Days and Services site.
• Prayers, Prefaces, Litanies, etc.:
  • A Prayer for Ash Wednesday (and for use in Lent) by Dr. William R.G. Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  • A Liturgy for Ash Wednesday, Dr. William R.G. Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  • Ash Wednesday Prayers, Victor Hoagland, C.P.
  • Lector's Notes, Ash Wednesday, Gregory Warnusz, Saint Jerome Parish, Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO. Notes and commentary for those reading this week's lectionary texts to the congregation.
  • Liturgical Planning and Music Suggestions, Ash Wednesday, CanticaNova Publications.
  • Resources: Based on the Revised Common Lectionary: Ash Wednesday A, Ash Wednesday C, Prayers, Collects and Litanies by Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church in Australia.
  • "Liturgy: prayer reflection", reflections on the collect at the Eucharist, Rev. Bosco Peters, New Zealand.
  • 21st Century Africana Liturgical Resources, Ash Wednesday, the Rev. Joseph W. Daniels, Jr., United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
  • Worship Resources, Ash Wednesday, John van de Laar, Sacredise.
  • A Corporate Prayer of Confession for Ash Wednesday, the Rev. Dr. Safiyah Fosua, United Methodist Church GBOD.
  • Thematic, Intercessory and Scripture Prayers for the RCL: Year A, Year B, Year C, Vanderbilt Divinity Library.
  • Offertory Prayers for February, 2010, David S. Bell, United Methodist Church GBOD.
• Graphics and Bulletin Materials:
  • Art in the Christian Tradition: Year A, Year B, Year C, Jean and Alexander Heard, Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial ShareAlike 3.0 License.
  • HermanoLeón Clipart, Ash Wednesday. Free clipart, backgrounds, slides, etc.
  • Ash Wednesday Clip Art. Anglican Diocese of Dunedin, New Zealand.
  • Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Follows Latin American Roman Catholic gospel reading, though most gospels texts/themes are found in the index. Liberation emphasis.
  • Images for this week's readings: Year B, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
  • CHURCH PowerPoint, Ash Wednesday. Rev. Dorothy Okray. Free PowerPoint slides for Worship Services.
  • Bulletin Covers, www.scholia.net. Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Emmett, Idaho. Scroll down for Year A index.
  • SAMUEL, Ash Wednesday, 2009, at ucc.org: lectionary citations, weekly theme, lectionary texts, commentary and bulletin back page.
  • Lectionary Puzzles, Ash Wednesday. Word search puzzles in RTF or plain text, by Reg McMillan, St.Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Peterborough, Ontario.
  • Scripture Introduction for Bulletin Insert, Ash Wednesday, 2010, Rev. John Shearman, Oakville, ON, Canada.
  • "Giving Up by Taking On," reflection by Steve Berneking, eBulletins reflections, prayer reminders, activity corner, American Bible Society Bible Resource Center.
  • "Stepping Back from the World's Distractions," reflection by Charles S. Houser, eBulletins reflections, prayer reminders, activity corner, American Bible Society Bible Resource Center, 2008.
  • "The Artful Ashes," Jan Richardson, The Painted Prayerbook, 2009.
  • Commercial Site: "Psalm 51," video for Ash Wednesday, The Work of the People.
  • PowerPoint Slides for Lent and Lent 1, More Ash Wednesday and Lenten PowerPoint Slides, Two Simple PowerPoint Backgrounds for Advent or Lent, Will Humes, Word & Table, 2009.
• Music and Hymns:
  • Original Hymns/Settings/Choral Pieces:
    • "The Lord's Prayer" for choir or congregation, Tom Council, United Methodist Church GBOD.
    • "Sound the Alarm, the Lord Is Near": Hymn for Ash Wednesday, F. Richard Garland, ORIENTIS PARTIBUS.
    • "With Oil and Ashes," choral introit for Ash Wednesday by Daniel Craig. United Methodist Church General Board of Discipleship.
    • "What Has Our God Required of Us?" TEXT: Mark Ryman (2005) based on Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21. TUNE: "Lasst Uns Erfreuen." New Hymns for the Lectionary.
    • "No Sack Cloth," "Take Up Your Cross," Brenton Prigge, New Hymn.
    • Hymns of the Spirit Three, Ash Wednesday, Richard E. Hurst, Universalist National Memorial Church.
  • Lists of Hymn/Choral Pieces, etc:
    • Hymn and Song Suggestions, Ash Wednesday, 2010, annotated suggestions from Natalie Sims, Singing from the Lectionary.
    • Hymn Suggestions for the Sunday Lectionary (with lyrics and sound files) from the Oremus Hymnal. (Click "Hymn Suggestions for the Sunday Lectionary.")
    • Lectionary Hymns, Ash Wednesday, National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
    • Liturgical Planning and Music Suggestions, Ash Wednesday, CanticaNova Publications.
    • Worship Resource Manual, The Moravian Church, Southern Province. Worksheets for planning music in worship: hymns, anthems, solos, organ repertoire suggestions for RCL texts. Direct link to Ash Wednesday.
    • Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
    • Choral Anthem Project, Ash Wednesday, National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
    • Gathering, Ash Wednesday, 2009, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc.
    • Together to Celebrate, Ash Wednesday, 2009, David MacGregor, Uniting Church in Australia. Contemporary Christian Music resources.
• For Children:
  • Story for Children's Worship and Family Activity, Ash Wednesday, at word-sunday.com: A Catholic Resource for the Lectionary by Larry Broding.
  • Gathering, Ash Wednesday, 2009, from the United Church of Canada. Includes sermon seeds, liturgical ideas, "with children," hymn suggestions, choral suggestions etc.
  • Proclaiming Faith, Ash Wednesday, 2009 - exploring the Sunday and Holy Day readings - reflections and young people's activities. Sadlier Publishing.
  • "Feed the Children," Children's Sermon from Sermons4kids.com.
  • Lectionary Puzzles, Ash Wednesday. Word search puzzles in RTF or plain text, by Reg McMillan, St.Stephen's Presbyterian Church, Peterborough, Ontario.
  • Ideas and Talks for Lent, Talks to Children, Rev. Donald McCorkindale, Dalgety Parish Church, Fife, Scotland.
• A list of links to other lectionary-based preaching and worship resources.