Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Holy Eucharist with sermon and the Imposition of Ashes
- 7:30 a.m. in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd (no music)
- noon in the main church (with music)
- 5:30 p.m. in the main church (with music)
(Some of our communications have stated that child care would be available during the 5:30 p.m. service, but this is not the case. We apologize for the confusion.)
Services will be livestreamed on this page (scroll to bottom).
PDF of the service bulletin (same bulletin for all three services)
A message from St. Stephen's rector
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
These words accompany the imposition of ashes, a stark reminder of our mortal nature. In the Hebrew Scriptures, ashes were also symbols of mourning or repentance. People would anoint themselves with ashes as a sign of grief, or to represent humility or remorse over things done or left undone. This ancient ritual is reimagined in the context of the Ash Wednesday liturgy, as we confess our sins against God and one another and pray for mercy and forgiveness.
Thankfully, we believe that God meets us not with a spirit of judgment but with the promise of grace. Like the father running out to meet the prodigal son on the road, God is always ready to embrace us and welcome us home. In that sense, the ashes are not only a reminder of our mortality; they are a reminder that we are God’s children, God’s own creation, formed for life and for love.
Ash Wednesday marks the first of forty days in the season of Lent, a time for reflection and recommitment. We use this time to rend our hearts, in the words of the prophet Joel – to acknowledge and lament the ways we obscure God’s dream for the world. We rend our hearts and ask God to recast them, to create in us new hearts, that we may love as God loves and share in the renewal of creation. Please join us in these weeks ahead. Watch the video with the Rev. Will Stanley, and read about the various offerings available to you at St. Stephen's Church.
The Rev. John D. Rohrs, rector
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Livestreamed services for Ash Wednesday
The livestreamed services for Ash Wednesday will appear in the window below. Please make sure you have only one livestream page open at a time, or you will hear more than one audio stream.