Ash Wednesday: A Liturgy for Children and Families

This year we needed to do our Ash Wednesday service at home a few days early. Between Valentine’s Day falling on Ash Wednesday, Wednesdays being our busiest days with my husband Evan having a late meeting at school, and our church having its Ash Wednesday service start after our kid’s bedtimes, it just made sense to do our service Sunday evening before Ash Wednesday.

Moving holy day celebrations and observations to the weekends so there is enough time when everyone is well rested is one of the best parts of cultivating a home church practice. (To learn more about how to create a home church service for your family, check out these posts: Simple Home Church Service Resources, Advent, Christmas Eve, Christmas Pageant, Epiphany, Lenten Evening Prayer, Easter Vigil, and Pentecost Vigil.) This also means I have pictures and the text of the service ready for this year’s Ash Wednesday if for some reason you can’t make a service at a church! Here’s a printable version.

I rewrote the Anglican litany of repentance in terms that my kids understand and hear us talk about. If you are interested in a more formal Ash Wednesday service text here are some from the Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Catholic churches (And a service of repentance from the Orthodox).

Kids love the ashes on the forehead, and it’s probably not going to be as somber of a service as at church. Traditionally, the ashes are made from burning the palm fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday service. But any ashes will do, or dirt, or we’ve used activated charcoal or even cocoa powder. Since we give up chocolate as a family for Lent, the cocoa powder is somewhat fitting. If you don’t have a cross or a candle to process in (or processing isn’t something you want to do) just begin the service singing the hymn.

Ash Wednesday: A Liturgy for Children and Families

Processional Song:

Create in Me A Clean Heart, O God

Create in Me A Clean Heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me
Cast me not away from thy presence O Lord
And take not thy holy spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation
And renew a right spirit within me

(light the candle)

Opening Verse

O Lord, open my lips,*  And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Song:

Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 

What can wash away my sin? 
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 
What can make me whole again? 
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. 
O precious is the flow 
that makes me white as snow; 
no other fount I know; 
nothing but the blood of Jesus. 

Psalm 55  (verses 1-4)

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, in your great goodness; *  
according to the multitude of your mercies wipe away my offences.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness *                     
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my faults, *                          
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned, and done this evil in your sight, *
 so that you are justified in your sentence, and blameless in your judgment.

Song

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul?

What wondrous love is this, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul?

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.

Gospel Reading

Matthew 6:1-6 and 16-18 (International Children’s Bible)

6:1 “Be careful! When you do good things, don’t do them in front of people to be seen by them. If you do that, then you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “When you give to the poor, don’t be like the hypocrites. They blow trumpets before they give so that people will see them. They do that in the synagogues and on the streets. They want other people to honor them. I tell you the truth. Those hypocrites already have their full reward. 3 So when you give to the poor, give very secretly. Don’t let anyone know what you are doing. 4 Your giving should be done in secret. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you.

5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them pray. I tell you the truth. They already have their full reward. 6 When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you….

16 “When you give up eating, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They make their faces look strange to show people that they are giving up eating. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward. 17 So when you give up eating, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then people will not know that you are giving up eating. But your Father, whom you cannot see, will see you. Your Father sees what is done in secret, and he will reward you.

THE IMPOSITION OF ASHES

Almighty God, you have created us from the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be for us a symbol of our mortality and a sign of our penitence, that we may remember that it is by your grace alone that we receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Then ashes are imposed with the following words:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Psalm 55  (verses 7-12)

7          You shall purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; *
you shall wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 
8          You shall make me hear of joy and gladness,*  
that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. 
9          Turn your face from my sins, * 
and blot out all my misdeeds. 
10         Create in me a clean heart, O God, * 
and renew a right spirit within me. 
11         Cast me not away from your presence, * 
and take not your holy Spirit from me. 
12         O give me the comfort of your help again, * 
and sustain me with your willing Spirit.

Song

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

The Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth;

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.

Confession Prayer: (Kneeling)

Dear Jesus,
I love you.
I’m sorry for my bad choices, please change my heart so I only want good things.
Thank you for being with me and thank you for                                  
Please help                                                        
 Amen.

LITANY OF PENITENCE

For being disobedient and not listening and doing what you want us to do.
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For being impatient and thinking you give other people better blessings.
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For our sinful anger and lying.  
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For being selfish and unloving;
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For being ungrateful for your gifts
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For ignoring people who are in need and suffering
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For our wastefulness and misuse of your creation
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For not loving our neighbors who look and sound different from us.
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For our not praying and worshiping with our whole heart and strength
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.
For seeking the praise of others rather your approval of us
Lord, have mercy upon us:
People    For we have sinned against you.

THE ABSOLUTION

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who sincerely repent and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon us, pardon and deliver us from all our sins, confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and bring us to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer: The Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

COLLECT FOR ASH WEDNESDAY

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made, and you forgive the sins of all 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 you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Song: Doxology

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Closing Blessing

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Thanks Be to God!

Recessional Song

Create in Me A Clean Heart, O God

And renew a right spirit within me
Create in me a clean heart, O God
And renew a right spirit within me
Cast me not away from thy presence O Lord
And take not thy holy spirit from me
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation
And renew a right spirit within me

Do you have a way to begin Lent with the children in your life?