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Ash Wednesday Reflection - 2/17/2021

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Ash Wednesday Reflection - 2/17/2021 Ash Wednesday Reflection - 2/17/2021 Let us pray – Holy Lord, open our hearts, our minds and our spirits to your message this day. May the words I speak be your words and that in all ways may we bring glory to you! Amen. 2 Corinthians 5:20b – We implore you on Christ’s behalf; be reconciled to God. Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. Isaiah 59:5a & 5c – Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Today is Ash Wednesday. I have known “of” Ash Wednesday all my life but I haven’t really known “about” Ash Wednesday. He added that Ash Wednesday emphasizes a dual encounter; we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith. The use of ashes is a sign of mortality and repentance and can be a powerful, non-verbal and experiential way to participate in the call to repentance and reconciliation. Google offered that in addition to repentance, Ash Wednesday is a chance to confess our sins and our devotion to God. The ashes represent both death and repentance, an expression of grief, in mourning and sorrow for our sins and faults. The Bible says that humans are created from dust and will return to dust when we die. This is offset by the belief that Jesus’ death allowed for people to be more than dust and to allow for eternal life in heaven. Ash Wednesday is the start of the Lenten season that leads us to Maundy Thursday, the day of Jesus’ last supper and betrayal, Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified, and Easter Sunday, when Jesus was resurrected! Many people choose to fast, take up a positive activity (like exercise) or give up something they enjoy during this time. When choosing a Lenten practice, we might consider if we keep God at a distance, whether through our actions or our inactions. We may have chosen things that make life easier or we might be grieving the life we expected that didn’t happen. So when we focus on our need for a savior and replicate the account of the sacrifice of Jesus’ journey in the desert for 40 days, our fasting can lead to a stronger connection with God. Jesus used fasting and prayer to strengthen his faith during this time of temptation. Fasting and prayer can allow us to receive power and strength from God. This Lenten sacrifice provides an opportunity to focus on Jesus life, sacrifice and saving grace given to all of us who believe. Question – Have any of you taken up or given up something for Lent? If so, how did that impact the Lenten season for you? Each year, Pastor David has a theme for his sermons during Lent. This year he has selected guiding us through a journey where the head, heart and hands come together as we prepare, receive and respond. These areas make me think of making things. And, since Lent is sort of the harbinger of spring, I think of growing things. Trust me, I’m not a gardener, my thumbs are black and I have only one living plant in my house that I’ve had since Paul and I bought our first house. It’s a Christmas cactus! They pretty much take care of themselves! But, even though I can’t grow plants, I recognize the connection of these areas in the Lenten theme. However we view this journey, whatever we might want to cultivate, whatever we make with our hands, our minds or our hearts is made much better when we include God and Jesus and recognize their power in our lives and our efforts! We are to cultivate our relationship with Jesus and with God as we navigate through this time of Lent. Question - What do you think about the statement, “navigate through Lent”? Ash Wednesday is complicated. We are challenged by the exterior piety of showing the ashes we are given. As the Isaiah scripture states, God does not value our fasting if our behavior is not impacted in a positive way. We can either appreciate the reminder of our mortality or grieve it. This is a good day to explore ourselves, to identify how we view our status with the person we see in the mirror. Do we know what our weaknesses are, what needs to be rectified? Do we speak with ourselves and make adjustments internally or externally? We are fashioned in the image of God, as caretakers of the world. May our hearts and lives be transformed by God during this time of Lent. The transfiguration of Jesus was the focus last Sunday. God spoke and told Peter, James and John that Jesus is his son, listen to him! We are to follow Jesus and his message, allowing our actions to show God’s love. This is also a time of transformation. We need to be open to seeing Jesus in a new way. Lent is a journey. What does God want us to experience, to do? Our hearts are transformed when we watch for Christ in the people and experiences we encounter each day. How is God transforming us all? How will God walk with us during this transition between epiphany and into Lent? Question – How do you compare being transfigured and being transformed? Is this transition pleasant or challenging? Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten season. Let’s use this sacred time to allow our spirits, our hearts and our minds to be filled with the word and spirit of God. Let us welcome this opportunity to be transformed into the people God wants us to be, to reflect the love and presence of God, of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit with everyone we encounter. Let us share why we are wearing ashes and what this means to us. Our ways of communicating have been transformed from in person to those we see on a screen. We have lived like this for a year now and have experienced challenges as well as many positive aspects. These challenges have kept us un-stuck as we’ve had and still have many transitions, changes and adjustments. Let us add to the list our willingness to experience Jesus in a new way. As we begin this journey together, let us unite our heads, our hearts and our hands as we prepare, receive and respond. Reach out to God, to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit for their presence in your life this day and every day. Be open to their message to you as an amazing child of God! Question – How do you see transitions, changes and adjustments happening in your life at this time? Do you welcome them? As we close, I pray that we all feel the peace and love of God surrounding each one of us as we enter into Lent this day. May the transitions, changes and adjustments that Lent provides enhance our faith journey and help us grow in our faith and connection with God, with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit. Amen! .
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