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Ash
Wednesday and Lent
What is “Ash Wednesday”?
Ash Wednesday is an annual holy day in which we remember and
acknowledge our mortality. We receive a mark of ashes on our
forehead at a worship service to remind us “that from dust we came and
to dust we shall return.” It sounds kind of dark and gloomy, and well,
that’s kind of the point. We too often live our days not remembering
the reality of death. Ash Wednesday is a time to spiritually reset
ourselves and remember that our every breath is dependent on God’s
grace. This year Ash Wednesday is March 9th and as always this begins
the six week journey towards Resurrection/Easter Sunday that we call
Lent.
What is Lent?
Lent is a six week holy season that extends from Ash Wednesday until
Resurrection Sunday (what most call “Easter”). It is a season of
intentional self‐sacrifice and reflection, to allow God space to teach
us and shape us, specifically to show us our need for the cross and the
resurrection.
What do we do in Lent?
In the season of Lent we are very intentional about spending time with
God in prayer. This is something scripture calls us to do all the time
(1 Thess. 5:17), but most of us need an annual reset where we
intentionally let God work deeply into every bit of our life. We also
are intentional about studying the scripture and doing that study
together. This year we will have Wednesday Soup Suppers where we study
the New Testament and Jesus’ teachings on prayer. This learning time
will help us get deeper into the scripture and lead us to a deeper
prayer life at the same time.
What do we not do in Lent?
There are also things we should give up doing in Lent. I encourage
everyone to think of something they can fast from in Lent. Here are
some examples of things you can abstain from in Lent, in order to spend
more time with God: TV, Movies, Facebook, Food, Alcohol, Media or a
hobby. You pick something to abstain from and set aside a certain
amount of time that you will go without that item. So let’s say you
pick TV. You could give up watching TV for certain days of the week,
and in its place you could take a walk, or journal, or have private
worship of God. If you decide to fast from food I recommend starting
with abstaining from one meal at a time to start out. After a week or
two you can progress to fasting from a couple of meals a day. Use the
time you would normally use for meal preparation and eating to study
the scripture or do community service.
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