This devotional is an adaptation of Pastor Joe’s Ash Wednesday message.
1 “Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people to draw their attention. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing 4 so that you may give to the poor in secret. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. 6 But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.
16 “And when you fast, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They distort their faces so people will know they are fasting. I assure you that they have their reward. 17 When you fast, brush your hair and wash your face. 18 Then you won’t look like you are fasting to people, but only to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19 “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. 20 Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. 21 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Reflection
Ash Wednesday faith may be the hardest kind of faith to live into. We understand Easter faith — resurrection and hope. We understand Good Friday faith — sacrifice and love. But Ash Wednesday faith makes us squirm.
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Those words remind us of our mortality. “Repent, and believe the gospel.” Those words remind us that we still fall short. We would much rather avoid both. We prefer lighter, happier spiritual conversations. And yet, Ash Wednesday invites us to sit with what is uncomfortable.
Jesus reminds us that prayer, giving, and fasting are not performances. They are quiet practices of trust — ways of placing our lives back in God’s hands.
Years ago, I had a friend named Marty. He came to church every Ash Wednesday. He had been living with cancer — treatable, but not curable. He always stood at the end of the line for ashes. And every year, as I looked into his eyes, I struggled to say the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Because for Marty, those words were not theoretical. They were real. I think of him every Ash Wednesday.
Through Marty, I began to understand what this day is really about. Ash Wednesday is not mainly about guilt. It is not mainly about rules. It is not mainly about giving something up. It is about dependence.
To admit our mortality is to confess that our lives are held in God’s hands. To admit our sin is to confess that we need grace. When Jesus warns us about false piety, he is warning us about self-reliance — the belief that if we are good enough, spiritual enough, impressive enough, we can manage life on our own. False piety nods toward God while keeping ourselves at the center.
Ash Wednesday faith does the opposite. It says: “God is at the center. Not me. Everything I have is gift. Every breath is grace.”
That truth is uncomfortable. We resist it. We want to be independent. We want to be in control. We want to believe we are strong enough. But Lent invites us to learn a better way.
In these forty days, do not be afraid to squirm a little. Pray, even when it feels awkward. Give, even when it stretches you. Fast or simplify, even when it’s inconvenient. Wrestle honestly with questions of mortality, forgiveness, sin and grace.
Because if we only ever choose what is comfortable, we will never encounter God. Our discomfort gently pushes us back into the arms of the One who made us, loves us, and saves us. Jesus did not model independence. He modeled radical dependence on God. And that is Ash Wednesday faith.
by Joe Monahan
For Pondering and Prayer
Where in my life am I trying hardest to stay in control right now — and what might it look like to place that part of my life more fully in God’s hands this Lent?
Prayer: Gracious God, you are the giver of every breath. Forgive us for the ways we try to live as though we are self-sufficient, independent and in control. In this season of Lent, teach us to trust you more deeply. Help us release what we cannot control and rest in your steady love. Form in us the faith of Jesus — a faith rooted in humility, prayer, and dependence on you. We place our fragile and beloved lives in your hands. Amen.
