Moment of Oneness - Ash Wednesday Service - February 17, 2021 - 9am and 7pm

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81507551772
Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: +1 646 558 8656

Welcome and Theme:

Dennis:  We gather as a community to take the first steps of our forty-day prayer journey of Lent.  The ashes we will bless are derived from the gardens of Upper Room community members.  

Opening Prayer:

Denise:  Holy One, open our hearts to the empty spaces.  Help us to see in the dark.  Lead us to that place of quiet where the only sound is your voice, calling our true selves into being, into union with one another and with you.  

Opening Song:  You Can Relax Now, Shaina Noll

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-mfPQIEaUA

 Reading:  

Dennis:  Do we know that within each one of us is the unspeakably beautiful beat of the Sacred? Do we know that we can honor that Sacredness in one another and in everything that has being? And do we know that this combination—growing in awareness that we are bearers of Presence, along with a faithful commitment to honor that Presence in one another and in the earth—holds the key to transformation in our world? 

These are the inspired words of Philip Newell, and we affirm them by saying AMEN.

Homily Starter:  

Denise:  During the forty days of Lent, we remember the time Jesus spent in the wilderness of the desert. There, a young man facing his future alone, he contemplates that future; what it all means, how it will all unfold. By the end of his time in the desert Jesus is ready.  From that moment he walks in one direction, in the service of justice and love.  What changed for him?  What clicked?  How was he able to hear that “unspeakably beautiful beat of the Sacred” and live his life in its rhythm?  Have you heard that beat in your own life?  What has helped you to hear it?  How has it changed you?    

Shared Homily

Blessing of the ashes:

Dennis:  The ashes we bless today/tonight are the fruits of the earth reduced to their essence by fire. The elements contained here are shared throughout creation.  Carbon, calcium, phosphorous, born of nuclear fusion deep within the core of stars, are the same elements, born of the same stars, that make up everything we know, everything we see, everyone we love.  We are all born of star dust.  Our oldest ancestors are the stars.  Please raise your hands over these ashes in blessing:

Holy one, all creation comes from you.  All things take shape through you.  All things live in you.  May these ashes, remnants of the plants of the earth, already holy in their union with you, be blessed today/tonight as reminders of our relationship with all of creation.  Through them may we know your presence, the presence that permeates all things and unites us in your love.  Amen.

We invite you to keep these ashes in a place in your home where you will see them throughout the Lenten season.  You may want to use them as part of your prayer during the season.  As the weeks pass, and the days become longer, we are reminded that the word “lent” comes from the Old English word “lencten,” referring to the lengthening days of spring.  By the time Easter comes you may want to take these ashes and add them to the earth of a garden or flower pot.  Thus the cycle will continue, and your Lenten prayers, along with the ashes, will become part of the future.  

Closing Prayer:  

Denise:  May our Lenten journey lead us to the farthest reaches of the universe, and to the center of our being, both destinations lying in the heart of the Holy One.  Amen. 

Closing Song: “Deep Peace” Sara Thomsen

https://youtu.be/u1ZncDXIBJA