Sermons on Holy Wednesday:

Be Holy PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 29, 2023

The sermon's main point is to explore the meaning of living a holy life in obedience to God, following Jesus' example, and relying on the Holy Spirit, as it is not an optional extra but an essential part of our Christian walk.

Good morning, church family! If you've got your Bibles with you, let's open them to 1 Peter, chapter 1, verses 13 through 16. Today, we're going to talk about what it means to live a holy life in obedience to God, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, and leaning on the power of the Holy ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16

Topics: Holiness

Happy Holy Week Series

Contributed by The Rev Deniray Mueller on Apr 15, 2017

a overview of the days in Holy Week

HAPPY HOLY WEEK This past weekend was beautiful — sunny (finally!), with bright flowers starting to pop out everywhere and little birds singing. Winter seems to have finally left, at least for a little while (I hear we are going to get more snow on Tuesday!). A friend of mine, said to me, “You ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11, John 12:1-14, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-44, Isaiah 54:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Matthew 28:1-20, Mark 16:1-7  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Episcopal

Return To The Lord

Contributed by Stephen Aram on Jun 20, 2019

We are right to emphasize that God loves us, but we too easily forget that because he loves us he wants us to be the best we can be and calls us to a deep repentance.

Return to the Lord Isaiah 1:12-20 Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012 Rev. Stephen Aram We live in a time when the church really emphasizes the mercy and grace of God. How many times have you heard it said that God loves us just the way we are and that he will be there any time we call? And ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 1:12-20

God’s Chosen Fast

Contributed by John Gaston on Mar 5, 2025

We look at 4 wrong motivations for Fasting, HOW we're to Fast, 7 Types of Fasts, 7 Purposes of Fasting, and 5 correct Motivations for Fasting. We also do a thumbnail sketch of Isaiah 58, where God does a critique of Israel's fasting practices.

GOD’S CHOSEN FAST Isa. 58:5 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR: Modern People Know So Much 1. Did you hear the story about the lady who was talking to her friend and brought up the Bible. Her friend said, “Oh don’t start trying to tell to me about the Bible; my parents had me read it every day. I’m ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:5, Matthew 6:16

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Resurrection : Reborn Out Of The Ashes

Contributed by Rev. Dr. Vivek Gundimi on Apr 1, 2025

The season of Lent is all about returning to God–a God who desires to be in a wonderful relationship with us.

We are right now in the Lenten season of 2025 celebrating an ancient tradition symbolizing a believer’s humility before God. From the Ash Wednesday of this year we began to reflect on our attitudes, on our actions, and our priorities and have hopefully begun returning to God through repentance ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:3, Job 10:8-12

Denomination: Methodist

Why Ashes Series

Contributed by Spencer Homan on Apr 8, 2011

Ash Wednesday Sermon teaching about why we use ashes on ash wednesday.

Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

"Take The Mark"

Contributed by Gerald Roberts on Feb 25, 2015

The Bible teaches us in Ezekiel we need a mark that identifies us as his. So God desires us to be marked this ash Wednesday as one of His.

“Take The Mark” Ezekiel 9:1-11 (Ezekiel 9:4-6) "And the LORD said to him [one of the four cherubim], 'Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark [literally, "a tav"] upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 9:1-11

Denomination: Methodist

Ashes Of Love

Contributed by Michael Blitz on Feb 14, 2024

A brief homily on repentance

Good EVENING and thank you all for coming out. I really enjoy that our lectionary gives me a lesson, right before the sermon, which seems to question the whole purpose of having an Ash Wednesday service. It really doesn’t, of course. But it is picked to make sure that we work through the idea of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:16-21

Denomination: Anglican

Your Cross Has Arrived

Contributed by Bruce Lee on Jun 4, 2025

Lent is a the 40 days, (not counting Sundays) from Ash Wednesday till Easter.

Your Cross Has Arrived “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34 Intro: This week we celebrated Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a the ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:34

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Holy Call A Holy City A Holy Comforter

Contributed by Judith Hand on Jan 14, 2015

The Lord Calls Equips and Comforts his servants

Scripture: Acts 16:9-15 Revelation 21:10 – 22:5 John 14: 23-29 A HOLY CALL A HOLY CITY A HOLY COUNSELOR In scripture God is referred to as HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. He is God in three persons, the Holy trinity. When I looked at the scripture passages for today in preparation for ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:9-15

Denomination: Methodist

The Holiness Of God / Be Holy For I Am Holy

Contributed by Michael Grant on Jun 21, 2018

In this sermon from Isaiah chapter 6 we explore the subject of the holiness of God and how it should impact our lives.

Isaiah 6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Fresh Ember Among The Dying Ashes

Contributed by Mary Erickson on Mar 3, 2022

A sermon for Ash Wednesday, Year C

March 2, 2022 Ash Wednesday Rev. Mary Erickson Hope Lutheran Church Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 The Fresh Ember among the Dying Ashes Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord. Well, here we are again! Today we enter into a new season of Lent. ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-21

Denomination: Lutheran

Lent 2021

Contributed by Michael Hopkins on Feb 17, 2021

A sermon for the start of Lent 2021

I think this is the point where I am supposed to talk about Lent being a penitential time, and time for giving things up, but that seems patent nonsense in 2021. In the last eleven months we have given up more than we ever wished for longer than we would have wished. And we have lost some people ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:9-15

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Palm Tree Series

Contributed by Mary Erickson on Feb 15, 2024

A Sermon for Ash Wednesday

February 14, 2024 Ash Wednesday Rev. Mary Erickson Hope Lutheran Church Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 The Palm Tree Good evening, friendly humans. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Palm Tree. My siblings and I don’t grow this far north. And even though your weather has ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:1-6

Denomination: Lutheran

Embracing Ash Wednesday: A Call To Reflection, Repentance, And Renewal

Contributed by Ronald Moore on Feb 12, 2024

A call to embrace Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent

As we gather on this sacred day of Ash Wednesday, we are reminded of our mortality, our human frailty, and our utter dependence on God's grace. Today marks the beginning of the holy season of Lent, a period of forty days set aside for reflection, repentance, and renewal. It is a time when we ...read more

Scripture: Joel 2:12-13

Denomination: Anglican