23 Examine me, God! Look at my heart!
Put me to the test! Know my anxious thoughts!
24 Look to see if there is any idolatrous way in me,
then lead me on the eternal path!
Reflection
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The United Methodist Book of Worship describes Lent as “a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Lencten, which means ‘spring.’ Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians.”
On Ash Wednesday, Christians are called to reflect on our own humanity, sins, and mortality. “The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship and the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful nonverbal and experiential way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation.” (UMC Book of Worship, 1992)
So, on this Ash Wednesday as we reflect on our humanity, sins, and mortality and begin this season of fasting, preparation, and penance, here are two questions we might ask ourselves:
At the end of our life, what will people say about us?
Will God be pleased with the life we lived?
Let us take some time today and during this season of Lent, to ask God to examine our hearts, minds, and souls. If there are any “idolatrous ways” in us, may we seek and accept the forgiveness God gives us, leave these ways behind, and follow God’s on the “eternal path.”
by Manny Estevez
P.S. – Don’t forget to worship with us tonight at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary. Our service will include ashes and Holy Communion. We’ll also be online if you prefer to live-stream.
For Pondering and Prayer
Prayer: God, you know us better than we know ourselves. If there are any idolatrous ways in us, may you give us the wisdom to recognize these things and the courage to leave them behind. May we follow you on the eternal path, help to show others the way, and continue our journey to the destination of your heavenly kin(g)dom. Amen.
