Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the people… Joel 2:15b – 16a
Dear Friends in Christ,
Sometimes the season of Lent creeps upon us as a surprise. We’re still catching up after Christmas when Ash Wednesday appears on the calendar. Ash Wednesday can surprise us. But then again, so also our brokenness and our mortality can surprise us in the midst of our busy lives. We seem to know that we need this strange day each year, when we come to grips with ourselves, when we tell the truth that cuts through our pride and defensiveness. We are dust and to dust we shall return. And yet, Ash Wednesday is not all darkness. We come not for condemnation, but we come to God trusting that God has invited us, knowing our sins, to relieve us from their power. In God’s hands, dust and ashes can come to life. In Jesus Christ, we find forgiveness. Through God the Holy Spirit, we find renewal and restoration, the power to repent, and God’s grace and consolation. The season of Lent is an invitation from God, an opportunity to open more of ourselves to God’s healing and redeeming power. It is not over in one service, nor in one day. Rather, Lent is a journey with God each day that might teach us how to find God and trust God all the days of the year. Come walk this season of Lent together and find more and more of God’s grace in your life. Ash Wednesday services: 7:00AM Noon (with childcare) 7:30 PM (with music) 2023 Lent Devotional Guide and other resources Yours in Christ, -Tom