Here’s an Ash Wednesday litany written by Lisa Frenz.
Litany: We Come
In the softness of evening,
in the solace of silence we come to you, O Lord.
We come for acceptance;
we come for community;
we come for forgiveness and love.
Silence
In the serenity of day's end,
in the restfulness of worship, we come to you O Lord.
We come to you for respite;
we come to you for completion;
we come to you for forgiveness and love.
Sung response: O Lord, Hear My Prayer (Taize)
Silence
In the quiet of the night,
in the comfort of darkness we come to you, O Lord.
We come for peace;
we come for comfort;
we come for forgiveness and love.
(Pause)
We come, O Lord of Light,
seeking the illumination of your Word.
We come for the path we can't find;
we come for the life we don't have.
We come to you for our lives are death
and you alone have breath and being.
Imposition of Ashes
In your mercy you call us to the path or repentance.
You remind us in your Word that we are earth and dust.
But you promise to lift the poor from dust.
Come and receive the sign of repentance.
You remind us in your Word that we are earth and dust.
But you promise to lift the poor from dust.
Come and receive the sign of repentance.
— from Ash Wednesday Meditation 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 © 2010 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.
For other worship resources for Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2012), click on Ash Wednesday in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
