Ash Wednesday

Old Testament Lesson Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

2 Blow the trumpet in Zion;

    sound the alarm on my holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

    for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—

2 a day of darkness and gloom,

    a day of clouds and thick darkness!

Like blackness spread upon the mountains,

    a great and powerful army comes;

their like has never been from of old,

    nor will be again after them

    in ages to come.

Epistle Lesson 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:2

20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

6 As we work together with him,[a] we entreat you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,    and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation!

Gospel Lesson Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Concerning Almsgiving

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Concerning Prayer

5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.