Ash Wednesday Reflections
Considering all the build up in my mind regarding Lent, yesterday was disappointingly normal. I ate, worked, played basketball, worked on my house, and so on. Sure, there were moments of denial and resistance, but other than that, it was Wednesday like any other.
That’s okay. Life is usually normal, and spiritual formation is accomplished through very ordinary means. I say this to encourage you in case you do not feel extra spiritual during the Lenten season. You do not need to conjure up a solemn spirit and somber face to participate in Lent. If self-denial and repentance bring about such things, then embrace what the Spirit is doing in you. Be on your knees before God, and live your life before the face of God.
Delight in the little things: the denial of comforts, the ongoing repentance of thoughts and attitudes, a moment of savoring God’s Word, and especially the ways in which all these things turn your attention to the suffering and death of Christ.
The part of my day that was delightfully abnormal was our Ash Wednesday prayer service. We read Scriptures and prayers aloud, we confessed our burdens and distractions and sin aloud, we were marked with ashes as a sign of our mortality and humility, and we took communion to remember the suffering and death of Christ.
As we are now heading into the wilderness together, I invite you to share your reflections and experiences with the rest of us (click “comments” below to contribute)
A LENTEN PRAYER
O Lord our God, long-suffering and full of compassion: Be present with us as we enter this season in which we recall our Savior’s suffering and celebrate his triumph. Give us your holy Spirit, so that as we acknowledge our sins and implore your pardon, we may also have the strength to deny ourselves and be upheld during times of temptation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 38
That’s okay. Life is usually normal, and spiritual formation is accomplished through very ordinary means. I say this to encourage you in case you do not feel extra spiritual during the Lenten season. You do not need to conjure up a solemn spirit and somber face to participate in Lent. If self-denial and repentance bring about such things, then embrace what the Spirit is doing in you. Be on your knees before God, and live your life before the face of God.
Delight in the little things: the denial of comforts, the ongoing repentance of thoughts and attitudes, a moment of savoring God’s Word, and especially the ways in which all these things turn your attention to the suffering and death of Christ.
The part of my day that was delightfully abnormal was our Ash Wednesday prayer service. We read Scriptures and prayers aloud, we confessed our burdens and distractions and sin aloud, we were marked with ashes as a sign of our mortality and humility, and we took communion to remember the suffering and death of Christ.
As we are now heading into the wilderness together, I invite you to share your reflections and experiences with the rest of us (click “comments” below to contribute)
A LENTEN PRAYER
O Lord our God, long-suffering and full of compassion: Be present with us as we enter this season in which we recall our Savior’s suffering and celebrate his triumph. Give us your holy Spirit, so that as we acknowledge our sins and implore your pardon, we may also have the strength to deny ourselves and be upheld during times of temptation through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 38
posted by Will | 7:23 AM
2 Comments:
This lent for me, has been like the first Valentine’s Day in a new relationship.. I’m nervous that what I’m doing might not be accepted, or may be below expectations, and at the same time, I am excited to give it to God and see His reaction in my life.. In the past, I was totally disconnected from the meaning of Lent, and from participating in it.. because I made it all about me.. and when the focus was on me, it seemed frivolous to participate. But this Lent, with a total shift of my perception to understanding that is something that I can do for God, that He is REALLY calling me to do, and I have been able to open my heart to listen to what He is calling me to do; I’m scared for the discomfort piece of it, and of failing (satan).. but at the same time.. I am SO excited to do this together with God, that the fear means nothing.. ~~Lisa
Lisa, thanks for sharing. I love this statement:
"I’m nervous that what I’m doing might not be accepted, or may be below expectations, and at the same time, I am excited to give it to God and see His reaction in my life."
Don't we always have a certain uneasiness about worship or relating to God in general? We know we do not measure up, that we are indeed unacceptable. Yet we give ourselves to God in faith, resting on the One who is acceptable on our behalf, and we wait with excitement to see His reaction in our life. God's grace never ceases to feel like a surprise.
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