Pastor's Pen March 2005

Dear Friends in Christ,

Ash Wednesday, March 1, marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Ash Wednesday is the most somber day of all of the days of the Christian calendar. This is the day in which we acknowledge our sinfulness and our need for God’s salvation. The words "We are dust and to dust we shall return" and the imposition of ashes are reminders of our finite natures. Left to ourselves there is no future but the dust of the grave. However, at the same time there is the certain word of God’s love and God’s grace. Even as we recognize that we cannot redeem ourselves there comes the Promise of God’s redemption in the Savior , Jesus the Christ.

As Ash Wednesday is a part of the larger season of Lent and its observances, there is not declaration of forgiveness on that day. The entire season is a season of repentance, of fasting physically and spiritually, and of giving alms as witnesses to the faith we share. The service for Maundy Thursday contains the culminating words of absolution or forgiveness for the season of repentance.

During the Lenten season, the classical acts of discipline can become examples for us for ways in which we might better come to understand our faith and the gracious gifts that God showers upon us. Perhaps a commitment to regular worship participation, or to an organized study of the Bible, or to helping with the food shelves or Habitat for Humanity, might be possibilities for you to consider in this Lenten season. Six weeks of commitment is not so long as to be impossible, but it is long enough to make a difference not only in your own life but in the lives of others as well. It is also long enough for you to discover that the time and energy given is not a burden but in fact can become a part of your everyday way of life. The Lenten season can be a time in which the words of our faith become visible in action as a witness to the world that we love because God has first loved us.

Planning ahead is an important component to life in this world. Plan now to make the most of this Lenten season. To hear God’s good news and to be moved to share that news with others whom you may meet.