What is it about Ash Wednesday? The opportunity to pray as long as I want to? The opportunity to sit in the dark, quiet sanctuary? The music? The question: "Are you willing to repent of your sin, and follow the way of the cross?" Or is it the answer, "the sign of the cross upon your forehead marks you as a disciple of Jesus Christ."
Stop there for a moment. How much time do I get to think before I answer the question? Of course I am willing to repent of my sin. But, God, let's be clear..........I want you to cleanse me. Love me. Heal me. Forgive me. Clean it all out. Down to the very core. Scrape out the crummy stuff. Do I repent of my sin? Oh yes, and please take it as far as the east is from the west.
Ash Wednesday, there is something about it. I am as close to God in that service as I am at any time during the year. I witness tears, sincere prayers, and young people who are beginning to think seriously about what it all means.
I love Ash Wednesday. It is a chance for all of us to find forgiveness.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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I love the Ash Wednesday "service" too. Sitting there in a darkened sanctuary full of the presence of God. Praising him for all of the blessings in my life, confessing my sins and praying that others in the world will come to know Christ as I have. And feeling so humbled. God created this amazing, beautiful world and allowed me to be a part of it--sacrificing his only son so that I might have everlasting life. Why? The song Jesus Messiah says it all in three words: "Love so amazing".
the quiet, the music, the opportunity, the presence of the spirit... just all very good
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