🦁 Ash Wednesday
Readings: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21.
Reflection
Good morning. This is Tim Tribble broadcasting from Sacramento, California. Today's readings come to us from Joel, chapter two, verses one and two and 12 to 17, Isaiah Chapter 58, verses 1 to 12, Psalm 51, verses 1 to 17, Second Corinthians Chapter five verses TB through Chapter six, verse ten, and Matthew Chapter six, verses 1 to 6 and 16 to 21. And good morning, welcome to Ash Wednesday. And this is the beginning of the liturgical church year known as Lent, which is a season of penitence and fasting and preparation for the pastoral feast, which is Easter.
Lent started out in old English. Word means spring, the time for the lengthening of days. It is recognized as a 40 day fast, which 40 days is a very picture key number. So Jesus spent 40 days in the desert after he was baptized by John the Baptist being tempted by the devil. He was fasting in the temptation. So well Lent turned into more than one. It started kind of not real clear, but several centuries after Jesus's death, it was brought forward, as do to prepare ourselves by fasting, by giving something up. This is so you give up chocolate, you give up cigarettes, you give up sugar. And this is why we have this thing on. Yesterday, when we talked about Shrove Tuesday, the and they were the fats and the sugars and the oils and all that. So you get a seasonal lent. So we go through Lent, there's this next 40 days and things to look out is take a look at the last ten months things have been where have you been in your life? How have you been? How do you feel about where you're out and what you're doing?
How have you been living the Christ like life? How have you been loving your neighbor as yourself and just be more prayerful, be more mindful. You're already listening. Hear us at first formation. So think about something. Start a new prayer during work for the next 40 days. Maybe either something in the morning or in the evening before bed. Those views, the two easiest times to do that. But just take a moment. Doesn't have to be a specific prayer. Just talk to God. But you would talk to your friend because that's what God is. Yeah. So just talk to him. Say, you know, this is something I'm concerned about, This is something I'm thankful for, but spend a couple of minutes or more and prayer that you don't normally do and more towards a better prayer life. We bring during the season of Lent to work around being repentant, you know, preparing ourselves because Jesus is you know, we go into Easter, which is the trial, the crucifixion. And then on Sunday, Easter Sunday, of course, the resurrection, and later comes the ascension. This is where Jesus's ministry ends. And then we are commissioned to go out as Christians and as followers of the way and the followers of Jesus to go out into the world and spread the news of God's love.
So as we move through the day, bring us something you can do for Lent. Think about something you can do in reflection and repentance. Maybe it's time to mend the fence.
Maybe something went on that you're not real happy with and do something to change it, to make it better in a relationship with someone and take this time to move on and prepare yourselves for the Easter season. Amen.
