February 18, 2026 - Ash Wednesday

SERVICE OF WORD AND SACRAMENT

ASH WEDNESDAY—EXACTLY WHAT I NEED: FORGIVENESS

I recognize my sinfulness. I am aware of my guilt, and the more I look at my situation, the more I realize what deep trouble I am in. I realize that what I really need is forgiveness, but I don’t deserve it. Fully aware of these facts, God worked salvation for me, provided me a Savior, called me to repentance, and promises me forgiveness.

“I didn't know I needed that” is a common expression of surprise and realization. It suggests that something, whether it’s a piece of information, a lesson learned, or a newfound understanding, has come to light and is now recognized as being essential or valuable, even if it wasn’t previously apparent.

Lent is the season of the Church Year when I recognize my greatest needs. During Lent, I realize that in Christ all my greatest needs are met. God knows what I need even when I don’t have any idea. The Holy Spirit makes it clear, week after week, that if I lack Christ, I have nothing. But if I have Christ, I have exactly what I need.

The Service begins in silence.

Please Stand

READING Psalm 51

1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
5Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

10Create in me a pure heart, O God,
     and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11Do not cast me from your presence
     or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation
     and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

18May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Silence for meditation and reflection

INVOCATION

In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

INTRODUCTION TO CONFESSION

Brothers and sisters in Christ, God created us to know joy in fellowship with him, to love all people, and to live in harmony with all creation. But sin separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, and so we do not enjoy the life our Creator intended for us. By our sin we grieve our Father, who does not desire us to come under his judgment, but to turn to him and live. Therefore, God in his mercy has sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take our place under the law, to suffer for us, and to die the death we deserve. God made Jesus, who had no sin, to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.

During the forty days of Lent, we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God. The time of Lent reminds us that to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, we must also know the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. As disciples of the Lord Jesus, we are called to struggle against everything that leads us away from love of God and neighbor.

Let us confess our sins, ask our Father for forgiveness, and commit ourselves to this struggle.

CONFESSION

Most holy and merciful Father,

We confess to you and to one another that we have sinned by our own fault,
    by our own 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, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve as Christ served us.
We have not been true to the mind of Christ.
We have grieved the Holy Spirit.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have placed our wants before your will.
We have gratified the desires of our sinful nature.
We have merited your punishment now and forever.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness.
The pride, hypocrisy, and impatience in our lives

We confess to you, O Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, our manipulation of other people,
our anger when our selfish aims are denied, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves

We confess to you, O Lord.

Our love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
our negligence in worship and prayer, and our failure to show the faith that is in us

We confess to you, O Lord.

Forgive us, Lord, for the wrongs we have done. For our blindness to human need and suffering and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,

Forgive us, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward others, and for our prejudice and contempt for those who differ from us,

Forgive us, Lord.

For what we think or say or do that is at variance with your will,

Forgive us, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us.

Hear us, Lord, for your mercy is great.

The Imposition of Ashes may follow.

IMPOSITION OF ASHES

The imposition of ashes is a public expression of repentance and of our human frailty that stands in need of Christ. The ashes remind us forcefully of our need for redeeming grace as the minister applies ashes to the forehead or to the back of the hand in the form of a small cross, saying:

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

After all who desire have received ashes, the minister says:

Accomplish in us, Lord, the work of your salvation

that we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and suffering of your Son,

bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

ABSOLUTION

Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not desire the death of sinners but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. He sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

EXHORTATION

During these days of Lent, let us implore God to give us renewal and his Holy Spirit. May we continue to abide in the true faith and at the last be received by him through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

THE WORD

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

Almighty and merciful God, you never despise what you have made and always forgive those who turn to you. Create in us such new and contrite hearts that we may truly repent of our sins and obtain your full and gracious pardon; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Be Seated

FIRST READING Isaiah 59:12–20

Because I am rebellious, I need a Redeemer.

12For our offenses are many in your sight,
and our sins testify against us.
Our offenses are ever with us,
and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13rebellion and treachery against the Lord,
turning our backs on our God,
inciting revolt and oppression,
uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
14So justice is driven back,
and righteousness stands at a distance;
truth has stumbled in the streets,
honesty cannot enter.
15Truth is nowhere to be found,
and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
     that there was no justice.
16He saw that there was no one,
     he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
     and his own righteousness sustained him.
17He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
     and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18According to what they have done,
so will he repay
wrath to his enemies
and retribution to his foes;
he will repay the islands their due.
19From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord,
and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.
For he will come like a pent-up flood
that the breath of the Lord drives along.

20“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
declares the Lord.

SECOND READING 2 Corinthians 7:8–13a

Godly sorrow results in repentance.

8Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. 12So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. 13By all this we are encouraged.

Please Stand

GOSPEL Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

When I recognize my need for forgiveness, I express my repentance with humility.

1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

16“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise be to you, O Christ.

Be Seated

HYMN OF THE DAY 519 There Is a Redeemer

1 There is a Redeemer,
Jesus, God’s own Son,
precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
Holy One. (Refrain)

Ref Thank you, O my Father,
for giving us your Son
and leaving your Spirit till
the work on earth is done.

2 Jesus, my Redeemer,
name above all names,
precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
hope for sinners slain. (Refrain)

3 When I stand in glory,
I will see his face;
there I’ll serve my King forever
in that holy place. (Refrain)

Text: Melody Green, b. 1946
Text: © 1982 Birdwing Music/Ears To Hear Music/Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publ., admin. CapitolCMGPublishing,com. Used by permission: Onelicense no. 717826

SERMON

Please Stand

CONFESSION OF FAITH Nicene Creed 325 & 381 AD

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who in unity with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Be Seated

OFFERING PRESENTED BEFORE THE ALTAR

WEST CAMPUS STUDENTS SING El Shaddai

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Have mercy on us, O God, according to your unfailing love. Wash away all our iniquity and cleanse us from our sins.