Live In The Light

To-day is Ash Wednesday – the first day of the first of seven weeks of Lent.


The Scripture for today is the story of two men who went to pray, one thanked God that he wasn’t a miserable sinner like other people were. The other man simply said,” Lord have mercy on me a sinner.” Jesus told the story; he said that the second man was more acceptable to God than the first. (Luke 18:9-13)

It is good to hear that we can ask for mercy when we haven’t measured up to God’s standards, and it is comforting to learn that we can face our own shortfalls without panic or denial.
Fear keeps us from recognizing what we already sense; that even our best isn’t good enough. The mercy of God is the prize that lures us past fear. God’s mercy is more than a simple, “It’s O.K. I forgive you” but his joyful welcome of us. Mercy is coming home when you feared that you wouldn’t be well received.

Today you may see people with a smudgy mark on their foreheads. (The ashes). They are saying that they have applied for mercy, and have been assured (by scripture) that God welcomes them.

Ash Wednesday

LENT starts on Wednesday. In fact in the local House of Pancakes it will start on Tuesday, I will go eat pancakes just to be part of something great. Something bigger than me, how I enjoy that; the knowledge that what I am and what I do is not limited by my time in history, and my small actions are part of something greater than I know.
LENT is a term from the liturgical year, the liturgical year is a tool for teaching, accompanied by certain exercises to promote a closer relationship with God. My Catholic friends will be 'Giving something up' for lent. I choose to 'add something' for lent. And this blog is what I have chosen to add. I do admire my Catholic friends though, they will be giving up meat, giving up deserts.
But here is my blog. Our church has a Mission Book of Prayer which gives suggestions for daily Bible readings. I've been reading it alone, and scribbling my thoughts in the margin. For Lent I will be scribbling those thoughts on my blog. Along with one or two of the suggested readings.
The Mission Book of Prayer is of course a tool for arousing concerted prayers on behalf of certain efforts made my members of the Church. What an unknown, unrecognized power has been unleashed on the members we pray for. So, this is it. Today is Monday, tomorrow I will be writing about the ashes. What a pity we are having the imposition of ashes in the evening I always liked that chance to show solidarity with a host of other people from various denominations. This year it will be errased before I meet anyone other than my own group.
Still the symbol will have entered my inner self, and I will be beginning the 7 weeks journey through death to life. Living not with light at the end of the tunnel but in the light that surrounds me, even in the tunnel.