Ash Wednesday February 14, 2024

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. We pause from our normal rhythm today to explore Lenten practices.

As I enter this time of prayer, I pause and become still. I breathe deeply and slowly and focus myself entirely upon God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord God, thank you for loving me. I am grateful that you are always near and communicate with me throughout the day. Help me slow down and seek your voice in my life. Teach me how I can observe the season of Lent to honor you, grow in holiness and mature as your disciple. Amen.

I cry out to the Lord with the words of Psalm 51. David wrote this Psalm when the prophet Nathan confronted him after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and sent her husband Uriah to the front lines.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Psalm 51:1-4a

Pause and Pray

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for Baptism by converts to the Christian faith. Later it was observed as a time for repentance and a return to the faith. It is a season set aside to draw near to God and can be observed with self-examination, reflection, confession of sin, repentance, fasting, abstention, prayer and almsgiving (giving to the poor). It is a time for believers to focus on their relationship with God, grow as disciples and reach out to the world in mission and service. An important element of Ash Wednesday is the confession of sin. I recognize the reality of sin in my life, the power it has over me and the need to go to God for forgiveness. When I turn to God with a humble heart, I can be assured of pardon.

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:1-5

In both the Old and New Testament, God calls his people to be painfully honest about sin and guilt. I cannot hide my sin before God. If I try to mask my transgressions or keep sin a secret, a cumbersome burden weighs down my soul. God’s hand is heavy upon me. I remember times when I experienced the burden of guilt for something I did or failed to do. The words of the psalmist resonate with my experience. I felt God’s hand heavy upon me, a groaning of my spirit, a burden on my heart, my strength sapped, a lost feeling of wasting away. I have a loving God whose nature is mercy. Through confession I receive God’s mercy, he forgives my sin and makes me clean. Jesus’ wounds cover my transgressions and heal my soul. Jesus paid the price and I receive pardon, undeserving as I am. Confession is good for me. When I acknowledge my sin and expose it before God and others, forgiveness brings tremendous relief. I am unburdened and set free for joyful living.

Ask: When was the last time I have done a thorough self-examination? Where might I be harboring unconfessed sin?

Pause and Pray

Most merciful God, I recount my sins before you. I will not keep silent, attempt to hide, overlook or minimize my trespasses. Examine me thoroughly, Lord. Uncover my iniquity, reveal my sin, shine a light on wrongdoing and expose deceit. I acknowledge my shortcomings and bare my soul before you. Thank you for your amazing grace and the sacrifice of Jesus whose blood can make even the foulest clean. I read the words from Psalm 32 again and listen for the message you have for me.

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:1-5

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

Ash Wednesday is a day set aside for self-examination, confession and repentance. Today’s ashes remind me of my mortality, my weaknesses and my desperate need for God. The Holy Spirit calls me to the altar of grace for an intimate conversation – to speak about the trespasses in my life and warn me of temptation. If only I am willing to listen. I ponder whether I am truly aware of my sin. Perhaps I am overlooking, ignoring or hiding sin in my life, even hiding it from myself. Maybe I have blind spots. Continued lack of confession and harboring of sin will weigh heavy on my soul over time, like a great weight pressing down upon me. God invites me to be completely transparent about every sin – thought, word and deed. I can trust the God who loves me to grant mercy, grace and forgiveness as well as strength and power to overcome temptation and sin in my life. God wants to bless me and release me from this burden.

Pause and Pray

Merciful Savior, I invite you into the recesses of my soul. Make a thorough examination and shine a light into every nook and cranny. I ask that your convicting grace reveal any harmful thoughts, attitudes, behaviors or actions. I welcome you into the household of my heart this Lent to do some spring cleaning, it is time to set things right. Relieve the stench, cleanse the filth and remove the burden of guilt from my soul. Amen.

Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Joel 2:12-13

I leave this time of prayer with a cleansed conscience and unburdened spirit. The words of the faithful are beautiful to my ears, “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.”

Amen