Ash Wednesday – February 18, 2026
The Order of Worship at 12 noon and 7:00 PM Lutheran Church of the Redeemer’s Statement of Welcome
We serve a God of abundant grace and generosity. Our worship is centered on the invitation that Christ offers at the communion table: all are welcome in this place. That welcome flows through all we do and say. We open our arms to everyone who comes to share our love of God and all God’s people. We affirm and value the lives of everyone, including all who have been marginalized by ability, age, gender, gender identity and expression, mental or physical health, poverty, race, sexual orientation, or any other circumstance. Let our message be clear: all are welcome to participate fully in the life of our congregation.
GATHERING
PRELUDE Prelude on the “Passion Chorale” J.S. Bach arr. Gerald Near Standing THE SILENT PROCESSION
HYMN 152
GREETING
The Lord be with you. | And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Almighty and ever-living God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly repenting of our sins, we may receive from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. | Amen
Seated
THE FIRST READING
Bill Gay
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
Because of the coming Day of the Lord, the prophet Joel calls the people to a community lament. The repentant community reminds God of his gracious character and asks God to spare the people, lest the nations doubt God’s power to save.
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 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy.
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,
and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”
After the reading: Word of God, word of life | Thanks be to God.
PSALM 51
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; in your great compassion blot out my offenses. Wash me through and through from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my offenses, and my sin is ever before me. Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are justified when you speak and right in your judgment. Indeed, I was born steeped in wickedness, a sinner from my mother’s womb. Indeed, you delight in truth deep within me, and would have me know wisdom deep within. Remove my sins with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be purer than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; that the body you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my wickedness. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. Let me teach your ways to offenders, and sinners shall be restored to you. Rescue me from bloodshed, O God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. For you take no delight in sacrifice, or I would give it. You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; a troubled and broken heart, O God, you will not despise.
THESECONDREADING 2 Corinthians 5:20b 6:10
The ministry of the gospel endures many challenges and hardships. Through this ministry, God’s reconciling activity in the death of Christ reaches into the depths of our lives to bring us into a right relationship with God. In this way, God accepts us into the reality of divine salvation.
We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
After the reading: Word of God, word of life | Thanks be to God.
Standing GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
THE HOLY GOSPEL
Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commends almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, but emphasizes that spiritual devotion must not be done for show.
Before the reading: The Holy Gospel according... | Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said to the disciples:] “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever 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.
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
After the reading: The gospel of the Lord. | Praise to you, O Christ.
Seated SERMON
Standing HYMN 606
Our Father, We Have Wandered
Seated INVITATIONTOLENT
Friends in Christ, today with the whole church we enter the time of remembering Jesus’ passover from death to life, and our life in Christ is renewed.
We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance and for God’s mercy. We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation. But our sinful rebellion separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended.
Asdisciples ofJesus, we arecalledto adisciplinethat contendsagainst evil andresists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor. Iinvite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament. Let us continue our journey through these forty days to the great Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Kneeling or seated CONFESSION
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. Most holy and merciful God, | we confess to you and to one another, and before the whole company of heaven, that we have sinned by our fault, by our own fault, by our own most grievous fault, in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven.
Have mercy on us, O God.
We have shut our ears to your call to serve as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our past unfaithfulness, the pride, envy, hypocrisy, and apathy that have infected our lives, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to share the faith that is in us, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our neglect of human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our false judgments, our uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us, we confess to you.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us, we confess to you. Have mercy on us, O God.
Restore us, O God, and let your anger depart from us. Hear us, O God, for your mercy is great. Amen.
IMPOSITIONOFASHES/REMEMBRANCEOFBAPTISM
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. May these ashes be a sign of our mortality and penitence, reminding us that only by the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ are we given eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. | Amen.
If you wish to receive ashes, please come forward following the minister’s instructions. As your forehead is marked with a cross of ashes, the minister will say: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Sung during imposition of ashes
After all have returned to their seats:
Accomplish in us, O God, the work of your salvation, that we may show forth your glory in the world. By the cross and passion of your Son our Savior Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.
Almighty God havemercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen
Kneeling or seated PRAYERS OF
INTERCESSION
Each portion of the prayers concludes: Hear us, O God | Your mercy is great. At the conclusion of the prayers: Amen
Reconciled by God’s mercy and sustained by God’s presence, let us pray for the world and its needs.
A brief silence.
Guide your church, O God. Accompany all Christians in this season of repentance, and renew our faith in the riches of grace you give to us in baptism. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Heal this earth, O God. Satisfy the needs of every parched place, every diverse ecosystem, every suffering creature. Though all return to dust, grant beauty and purpose to each living thing. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Restore the nations, O God. Let your healing spring up quickly across the world (places may be named). Give all in authority the will to loose the bonds of injustice and let any who are oppressed go free. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Deliver your people, O God. Comfort any whose hearts are rent by grief, uphold any who are sick, bring food to those who hunger, and give housing to all without shelter. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Bless this assembly, O God. Reconcile us to one another and to you. Strengthen our resolve to fast from evil, open our hands in sharing, and quicken our prayer. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Hold us forever, O God. We thank you for all who now know their treasure in heaven, and for (Martin Luther and) all who on earth proclaimed your abounding, steadfast love. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Receive our prayers, O God, through Jesus Christ, our strength and salvation. Amen.
Seated GATHERING OF GIFTS
ANTHEM
12:00 pm
7:00 PM
Savior, When In Dust to You Gerald Near Organ
Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts Henry Purcell Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not Thy merciful ears unto our prayer; But spare us, Lord, most holy, O God, most mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, Thou most worthy Judgeeternal, sufferus not at ourlast hourfor any pains of death to fall from Thee. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer Standing OFFERING HYMN
O God, maker of heaven and earth, your steadfast love embraces all creation. You send rain and sunshine to nourish the earth and bring forth its bounty. Through these gifts of bread and wine, draw us into the death and life of your Son, who calls us to bear witness to his saving work. We ask this in Jesus’ name. | Amen.
GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. | And also with you. Lift up your hearts! | We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. | It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ. You call your people to cleanse their hearts and prepare with joy for the paschal feast, that, renewed in the gift of baptism, we may come to the fullness of your grace. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
O God, Creator of our wilderness world, O God, Savior of the lost, O God, Comforter of the sick and suffering, we give you thanks for your everlasting might; we glorify you for your covenant of mercy.
For forty days you cleansed the earth with the waters of the flood. For forty days you illumined Moses with the words of your law. For forty years you fed your people with manna from heaven.
You became truly human in Jesus our brother. For forty days, with fasting and prayer, he renounced the power of the devil. On the night before he died he took bread, and gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Transform us, O God, with your lively Spirit. Make this food into manna for our journey, the body and blood of your Son. Teach us your words of wisdom and justice. Renew the whole earth with baptismal grace. At the last, lead all your pilgrim people through our wilderness to your Easter garden.
To you, O God, Creator, Savior, Comforter, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be our worship and praise, adoration and thanksgiving, now and forever. | Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
Seated
Come to the table. Feast on God’s goodness and mercy.
All who seek to meet the Risen Christ in the bread and wine are invited to receive Holy Communion.
On My Heart Imprint Your Image
Standing
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace | Amen.
Let us pray. | God of our salvation, we give you thanks for this meal that restores our souls, reconciles us to you, and strengthens us for the journey. Through the body and blood of your Son, may we become Christ’s body in the world, bearing witness to your love for all creation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
SENDING
God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.
BLESSING
Receive the blessing of the holy Trinity: God, who calls all things into existence, Jesus Christ, who redeems us, and the Holy Spirit, whose breath sustains creation, ☩ bless you now and always. | Amen
SENDING
Go in peace. Believe the good news. | Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE Out of the Depths I Cry to You Max Drischner (1891-1971)
From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2007 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #21979.
LENTEN SERVICES
WEDNESDAYS IN LENT Feb. 25 – March 25
7:00 PM | In-person and On-line Midweek Worship (NO NOON SERVICES)
HOLY WEEK SERVICES
Sunday, March 29 | Palm/Passion Sunday
9:00 & 11:00 am | In-person and On-line Wednesday, April 1 | Service for Healing
7:00 PM | In-person and On-line
Thursday, April 2 | Maundy Thursday
12:00 Noon & 7:00 pm | In-person and On-line Friday, April 3 | Good Friday
12:00 Noon and 7:00 pm | In-person and On-line
Saturday, April 4
10:00 am Family Easter Vigil and Celebration
Saturday, April 4 | Holy Saturday
7:00 pm Easter Vigil | In-person and On-line
THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER 731 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 www.redeemer.org | 404.874.8664 | Emergency Line: 404.874.9759
The Rev. Mark H. Larson......................................................................Senior Pastor, ext. 201
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Trapp ..........................................Pastor for Faith Formation, ext. 233
The Rev. Timothy Lloyd............................................................................................................ .....................................Associate Pastor for Evangelism & Mission Development, ext. 224
STAFF
Seth Brown...................................................................Facilities and Media Director, ext. 218
Brandon Davis ...................................................Director of Operations and Finance, ext. 232
Robin Durdin ............................................................Office Administration Director, ext. 204
David Hansen...........................................................................Adult Choral Director, ext. 236
Sarah Hawbecker.......................................... Organist & Children’s Music Director, ext. 206
Deacon Mary Houck.....................................Children & Family Ministries Director, ext. 227
Pepper Humpherys..............................................................................Youth Director, ext. 230
Deacon Allison Lizdas............................................Director of Congregational Care, ext. 203
Stacey Williams..............................................................................................Head of Security