Here’s a prayer of confession for Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2012). It was written by Lisa Frenz for the Mt. Carmel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
Confession for Ash Wednesday
In the dark of night God calls to us;
beckoning us on,
seeking us out,
calling us to peace,
to quietness,
to wholeness.
The world is dark around us,
The world is dark around us,
filled with coldness, terror and restlessness.
It is a darkness of our creation:
It is a darkness of our creation:
greed, hatred, envy: brokenness.
Take us and heal us of every evil.
Take us and heal us of every evil.
Bring us back into the comfort and closeness
of your embrace, O God.
Your cleansing love, O God,
Your cleansing love, O God,
purifies our darkness restoring it to us:
warm, comforting, restful: complete.
In the dark of our night we hear God call,
In the dark of our night we hear God call,
offering love and strength and forgiveness.
With God the darkness brings comfort not fear,
With God the darkness brings comfort not fear,
love not hatred,
righteousness not punishment.
Walk in the darkness of your life as in the light,
for both the dark and the light belong to God,
as do you.
Amen.
Amen.
— from Ash Wednesday (Taize with imposition of ashes) written by Lisa Frenz for the Mt. Carmel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon. Posted on Lisa’s Liturgies. https://sites.google.com/site/lisasliturgies/home If used, please include this note: “Copyright © 1999 Lisa Frenz. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission."
Note: Lisa Frenz has prepared a number of other Ash Wednesday Liturgies. You can find them on her site here.
