as we begin this season of lent with the imposition of ashes and a spirit of repentance, i find myself pondering my own shortcomings and the direction of the next forty (well 46 in reality) days until Easter. i yearn for this season to be one of emptying and restoration. of simplifying certain aspects of my life, both outwardly and within. of using my resources more wisely & becoming a better steward with what He has blessed with me. of treating my body as the temple is was created to be. buying fresh & local & cutting out that which is not necessary. of filling myself with the Word and with more knowledge of the theology that grounds me. so here we go in this season of Lent.
some intriguing words from the day…
in a friend’s post today of an article, My Lent: Ashes, Addiction, and the Reality of Hell (Pace Rob Bell) by Debra Dean Murphy. i found this excerpt particularly interesting & full of truth.
“Lent reminds us that we’re all in the same boat—the sinking ship of our failed attempts to save ourselves, love ourselves, and save those we love. The ashes are not mere symbol; they are not a public sign of our piety (exactly what Jesus warns against in Ash Wednesday’s gospel reading). Instead, the ashes are as real as it gets—a sticky, gritty, grimy smear plastered to our foreheads, precisely on the same spot that the oil of baptism was applied. For Christians, the juxtaposition is as liberating as it is instructive: we are dying, yet we live. Death may be at our doorstep but it cannot steal our substance. We are alive in Christ, alive in one another, and alive in the hope that death (and hell) do not have the last word.”
i pray that this hymn is the voice of my heart during this season:
All to Jesus, I surrender;
and as a final note, as we prayed tonight…o God, maker of everything and judge of all that You have made, from the dust of the earth You have formed us and from the dust of death You would raise us up. by the redemptive power of the cross, create in us clean hearts and put within us a new sprint, that we may repent of our sins and lead lives worthy of Your calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord. amen.
