Ash Wednesday
In a parable in Luke 18 Jesus compares two men who go to the temple to pray: a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee thanks God that he is not like other sinners. The tax collector with heartfelt repentance only says "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." Jesus expects us to be like the tax collector.
The forty day season of Lent exists so we can come before the Lord and say "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." One way we do this is by making changes in your life. For some it means giving something up, a reminder that we are too dependent on worldly things. A TV addict might give up TV, a soda addict might give up soda... Or you may choose to do the opposite, and do something you haven't done before. Today I walked over a mile to and from my office. I hope I can keep that up throughout Lent.
The best way, however, to make a change in your life and recognize your sinfulness is to worship more faithfully during Lent. We enter worship as repentant sinners so that our hearts might be open to the message of God's grace. In the Ash Wednesday worship service we hear the words from Psalm 51 that calls on God to "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." With ashes on our forehead (that remind us of our mortality) and a repentant heart we are ready to hear God's grace so that the changes made in our lives are real and lasting.
The forty day season of Lent exists so we can come before the Lord and say "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." One way we do this is by making changes in your life. For some it means giving something up, a reminder that we are too dependent on worldly things. A TV addict might give up TV, a soda addict might give up soda... Or you may choose to do the opposite, and do something you haven't done before. Today I walked over a mile to and from my office. I hope I can keep that up throughout Lent.
The best way, however, to make a change in your life and recognize your sinfulness is to worship more faithfully during Lent. We enter worship as repentant sinners so that our hearts might be open to the message of God's grace. In the Ash Wednesday worship service we hear the words from Psalm 51 that calls on God to "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." With ashes on our forehead (that remind us of our mortality) and a repentant heart we are ready to hear God's grace so that the changes made in our lives are real and lasting.
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