Lectionary Readings
Book of Common Prayer - 1979
February-10-2016
Ash Wednesday

The Collect

Ash Wednesday
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Old Testament Reading

Joel 2:1-2,12-17
¹ Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near, ² a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them through the years of all generations. ¹² "Yet even now," says the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; ¹³ and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. ¹⁴ Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God? ¹⁵ Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; ¹⁶ gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. ¹⁷ Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare thy people, O LORD, and make not thy heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, `Where is their God?'" - OR -
Isaiah 58:1-12
<sup>1</sup> "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. <sup>2</sup> Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. <sup>3</sup> `Why have we fasted, and thou seest it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and thou takest no knowledge of it?' Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. ⁴ Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. ⁵ Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? ⁶ "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? ⁸ Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. ⁹ Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. "If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, ¹⁰ if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. ¹¹ And the LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. ¹² And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

Psalm

Psalm 103

Benedic, anima mea
1Bless the LORD, O my soul, *
     and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.
2Bless the LORD, O my soul, *
     and forget not all his benefits.
3He forgives all your sins *
     and heals all your infirmities;
4He redeems your life from the grave *
     and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;
5He satisfies you with good things, *
     and your youth is renewed like an eagle's.
6The LORD executes righteousness *
     and judgment for all who are oppressed.
7He made his ways known to Moses *
     and his works to the children of Israel.
8The LORD is full of compassion and mercy, *
     slow to anger and of great kindness.
9He will not always accuse us, *
     nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
     nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
     so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
12As far as the east is from the west, *
     so far has he removed our sins from us.
13As a father cares for his children, *
     so does the LORD care for those who fear him.
14For he himself knows whereof we are made; *
     he remembers that we are but dust.
15Our days are like the grass; *
     we flourish like a flower of the field;
16When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *
     and its place shall know it no more.
17But the merciful goodness of the LORD endures for ever on those
     who fear him, *
     and his righteousness on children's children;
18On those who keep his covenant *
     and remember his commandments and do them.
19The LORD has set his throne in heaven, *
     and his kingship has dominion over all.
20Bless the LORD, you angels of his,
     you mighty ones who do his bidding, *
     and hearken to the voice of his word.
21Bless the LORD, all you his hosts, *
     you ministers of his who do his will.
22Bless the LORD, all you works of his,
     in all places of his dominion; *
     bless the LORD, O my soul.

- OR -
Psalm 103:8-14

8The LORD is full of compassion and mercy, *
     slow to anger and of great kindness.
9He will not always accuse us, *
     nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
     nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
     so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.
12As far as the east is from the west, *
     so far has he removed our sins from us.
13As a father cares for his children, *
     so does the LORD care for those who fear him.
14For he himself knows whereof we are made; *
     he remembers that we are but dust.

New Testament Reading

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
5:²⁰ So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 6:¹ Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. ² For he says, "At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ³ We put no obstacle in any one's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, ⁴ but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, ⁵ beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; ⁶ by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, ⁷ truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; ⁸ in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Gospel Reading

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21
¹ "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ² "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ³ But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ⁵ "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ¹⁶ "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ¹⁷ But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ¹⁹ "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.