Today is Ash Wednesday. It begins the 40 day journey through the season of Lent. Sackcloth and ashes were an ancient symbol of sorrow. On Ash Wednesday we receive the mark of Ashes upon our foreheads to remind us of our sinfulness and mortality. Both Ash Wednesday and Lent are about taking a good hard look in the mirror to remind us of where we stand before God. We are sinners. We are just beggars before his throne of grace. But the astounding thing is that as we come to a greater realization of our depravity, we come to a greater realization of how amazing his love and grace is. In the words of the Apostle Paul we are “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 6:10).
As we begin the Lenten journey I want to invite you to come out tonight at 7pm for our Ash Wednesday worship at Lord of Life. We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper and together with the traditional imposition of Ashes where the worshippers will receive the mark of the cross in ashes upon their foreheads. The Ashes serve as a reminder of our mortality and our need for Jesus.
Another opportunity I would like to extend an invitation to you is for our Morning Prayer services at Lord of Life each weekday at 6:30am and 11:30am and on Saturdays at 9am. These are opportunities to come together during Lent as the people of God and to offer our common prayers before the Lord. It is an opportunity to seek greater intimacy with the Lord.
You should also know that this is the very last Sunday, February 26, to get your tickets for the Seder Dinner. Because the Seder Dinner is so early this year it may have snuck up on you. If you have been to the Seder Dinner in the past, it will be a little different this year. Greg Savitt of Chosen People Ministries will be our special guest. He will be leading the presentation called Messiah in the Passover. The Messiah in the Passover presentation is a powerful visual message no only of Israel’s freedom from slavery in Egypt, but of the redemption of individuals from the bondage of sin through the atoning work of Jesus. The presentation is designed to give participants a deeper understanding both of the Passover and of the Lord’s Supper.
It is my prayer that through your participation in the Seder Dinner you will develop a greater understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross and the Lord’s Supper we receive each Sunday at Lord of Life. It was during a Passover Seder that Jesus instituted this meal where we receive his body and blood in the bread and the wine.
I pray for God’s blessings upon your Lent journey. We humble ourselves these next 40 days, but it is not without hope. We expectantly anticipate the coming celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. As you humble yourself these next 6 weeks in prayer and fasting, think about how wonderful it will be to burst with joy on that most blessed day.





