God Be Merciful to Me
1. God, be merciful to me;
On Thy grace I rest my plea
Plenteous in compassion Thou,
Blot out my transgressions now;
Wash me, make me pure within;
Cleanse, O cleanse me from my sin.
2. My transgressions I confess;
Grief and guilt my soul oppress.
I have sinned against Thy grace,
And provoked Thee to Thy face.
I confess Thy judgement just;
Speechless, I Thy mercy trust.
3. I am evil, born in sin;
Thou desirest truth within.
Thou alone my Savior art,
Teach Thy wisdom to my heart;
Make me pure, Thy grace bestow,
Wash me whiter than the snow.
4. Broken, humbled to the dust
By Thy wrath and judgment just,
Let my contrite heart rejoice,
And in gladness hear Thy voice;
From my sins O hide Thy face,
Blot them out in boundless grace.
5. Gracious God, my heart renew,
Make my spirit right and true.
Cast me not away from Thee,
Let Thy Spirit dwell in me;
Thy salvation’s joy impart,
Steadfast make my willing heart.
6. Sinners then shall learn from me,
And return, O God, to Thee
Savior all my guilt remove,
And my tongue shall sing Thy love
Touch my silent lips, O Lord,
And my mouth shall praise accord.
Call to Worship
Let us worship God,
for whom our souls thirst and our bodies long.
Listen, listen to me,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
We have come to hear the Word God has sent.
God’s Word will not return empty
but will accomplish through us his holy purpose.
Let us worship God in spirit and in truth.
Then we will go out with joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills will sing;
the trees of the field will clap their hands.
(based on Isaiah 55:2, 11-12; John 4:24)
From the Depths of Woe
1. From the depths of woe I raise to Thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication;
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee?
2. To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth;
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy
3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His word
Upholds my fainting spirit;
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience
4. What though I wait the live-long night,
And til the dawn appeareth,
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth;
Do thus, O ye of Israels seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait til God appeareth
5. Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our upmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow
Call to Confession
Psalm 88
1
O Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out day and night before you.
2
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3
For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5
like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6
You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7
Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
Selah
8
You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9
my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
I spread out my hands to you.
10
Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you?
Selah
11
Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12
Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13
But I, O Lord, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14
O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15
Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16
Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17
They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18
You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.
Prayer of Confession
If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Almighty God, our Redeemer, in our weakness we have failed to be your messengers of forgiveness and hope. Renew us by your Holy Spirit, that we may follow your commands and proclaim your reign of love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
(based on Psalm 130)
Assurance of Pardon
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
In Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
(based on Joel 2:13; 2 Corinthians 9:15)
In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand
Meditation on Lent
Congregational and Pastoral Prayer
When I survey the Wondrous Cross
1. When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
3. See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did eer such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Benediction
May God the Father, who does not despise the broken spirit, give you a contrite heart.
May Christ, who bore our sins in His body on the tree, heal you by His wounds.
May the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth, speak to you words of pardon and peace.
Amen.
(based on Psalm 51:17, 1 Peter 2:24, John 16:13)
