The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
We begin our 6 week journey through Lent,
a season to prepare for a deeper experience
of the passion and resurrection of Jesus,
with the acknowledgement of and reflection upon our own mortality.
"Ash Wednesday worship is the chance for us all to openly acknowledge our frailty and sinfulness.
On Ash Wednesday we are faced with our imperfections.
We all bear the mark of sin... We all stand guilty before a holy God.
We all are mortal and will someday experience bodily death.
Thus we all need a Saviour."
And that is the good news we anticipate as we journey toward Easter.
We can admit our own mortality.
We can talk openly about the limits of this life. Why?
Because through Christ we have entered into life eternal,
fullness of life that will not end when our bodies give out.
The emotional result of Ash Wednesday observance isn't depression or gloom,
but gratitude and new energy for living.
When we realize how desperately we need God,
and how God is faithful far beyond our desperation,
we can't help but offer our lives to him in fresh gratitude.
And when we recognize that life doesn't go on forever,
then we find wonder anew to delight in the gifts of each and every day,
and to take none of them for granted...
Ashes are placed on our foreheads
as a reminder of our mortality and sinfulness.
The person who imposes the ashes quotes something like
what God once said to Adam after he had sinned:
"You are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen 3:19).
This is the bad news of our sinfulness that prepares us to receive
the good news of forgiveness in Christ.
May I inspirit you with this final thought ? ~
"How grateful I am for the grace of God that allows us to stare death in the face
so we can live with greater wonder and delight!
How thankful I am for a day that grants us permission to think about death
so we can cherish life even more."
Let's live in Wonder on This Lenten Journey ...
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