By Betsy Finklea
The Latta United Methodist Church and the Latta Presbyterian Church held a joint Ash Wednesday Service on February 18th at Latta UMC.
The service opened with the prelude, greeting, and the opening prayer. The congregation sang the hymn, “Seek Ye First.”
The scripture lesson was Galatians 2:20 which states:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (NASB)
Rev. Eugen “Buddy” Bach of Latta Presbyterian Church gave the sermon entitled “He Is Looking for a Good Son,” but said it could have been called “Follower or Disciple.”
After the sermon, Rev. Lee Phillips gave the invitation to observance of the Lenten Discipline. He read the following:
“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
The early Christians observed with great devotions the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration there should be a forty day season of spiritual preparation. During this season converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins and had separated themselves from the community of faith were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to participation in the life of the Church. In this way the whole congregation was reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our faith. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to observe a holy Lent: by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word. To make a right beginning of repentance, and a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before our Creator and Redeemer.”
The Thanksgiving Over the Ashes was given.
“Almighty God, You have created us out of the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be used as a sign of our mortality and penitence, so that we may remember that only by Your gracious gift are we given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.”
“On Ash Wednesday, as Lent begins, worshipers’ foreheads are often marked with ashes in the sign of the cross. The ashes traditionally come from burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. In Old Testament days, ashes were a sign of mourning and repentance. Today, some worshipers wipe off the ashes before leaving church, to symbolize being cleansed from sin by Jesus’ death; others wear the ashes the rest of the day, carrying the cross of Christ into the world. The speaking of Genesis 3:19 often accompanies the placement of ashes: ‘You are dust, and to dust you shall return.’ “
The imposition of the ashes took place as members of the congregation lined up to be marked with the sign of the cross.
There was a responsive reading of the Confession and Pardon: Psalms 51:1-17.
This was followed by the Prayer of Thanksgiving, The Lord’s Prayer, and the singing of the hymn, “And Can It Be That I Should Gain.” After the hymn, the congregation was dismissed with a blessing.
