What's Up with the Ashes?

Last night, millions of Christians around the world commemorated Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 46 days of Lent (40 weekdays before Easter).  Ever wonder what Ash Wednesday is all about?  Ash Wednesday is historically a day of repentance.  In ancient times, ashes were put on your head as a way to express deep mourning.  We see this throughout the Bible.  The prophet Jeremiah, for example, called for repentance this way: "O my people, put on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jer 6:26).  We do this on Ash Wednesday as a way for us to prepare our hearts for Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and His death on the cross.  The Lenten journey for us each year ends on Easter morning.  The name "Ash Wednesday" is a reference to the practice of placing ashes on the forehead as a sign of mourning and repentance to God.  

In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan.  So, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Christian Church’s 40-day liturgical period of prayer and fasting.  Often times people “give up” something for those 40 days.  Some people fast a meal a week; others give up something else in their life, such as watching TV, eating chocolate or eating meat on Fridays.  People do this as an outward way to show their repentance. 

Often times churches make their own ashes, which are the burned ashes of the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday services.  Many years ago at Calvary, we did try to make our own ashes, but someone mixed the ashes with water instead of oil to make the ash paste.  I’m not a chemist, but when you mix ashes and water together it becomes a form of lye, which can burn the skin.  So, for about a week after Ash Wednesday that year, when you would see people who had a big red cross burned into their foreheads around the Golden Valley area, you knew they must have been at Calvary on Ash Wednesday.  Every year when Ash Wednesday comes around, I still recall the year I wore a cross on my forehead for a week! 

Lent is a time for each of us to prepare our hearts for the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  The word "Lent" comes from the Old English word “lencten,” which means spring or the lengthening of days.  I like the phrase lengthening of days; it gives me pause to slow down, to focus more on God and to deepen my relationship and walk with Jesus during the Lenten journey to the cross. 

I pray that, as you journey to the cross this year, it would be a journey that opens your heart to the depth of Jesus’ love for you.  May you experience His presence in a powerful way this year. 

Here is the song that we will be singing each week during our Lenten services.  It’s called “To the Cross.”  I pray that, during this Lenten season, we also would be led to the cross.

 

To His Glory!

Pastor Carol

It's Spring Cleaning Time!

How many of you would be able to say, as you look over your life, that far too often you have had misplaced priorities in your life?  I always have the best of intentions, but somehow I often seem to get my focus off course.  In the sermon on Sunday, I mentioned that, for the Israelites, God’s big thing had become their small thing.  And, if we were really honest, we are a lot like them!  We get focused on our personal lives and we seem to let God take second place.  We don’t intend for that to happen, but it just happens – it’s a slow fade. 

It’s always something, isn’t it?  There are the kids' games, the dance lessons, the job, the MBA, the house, the kitchen or bathroom remodel, the bills, and all the other struggles of living in this fast-paced, stress-filled culture.  Perhaps you have even heard yourself say something like, “When the kids are grown or when I retire, then I’ll have time to take a Bible study or to go to church on a regular basis.”  I know I said that shortly after I graduated from college: “I’ll start going to church on a weekly basis once I get settled.  I’ll get more involved once I’ve got a job and new place to live.  I’ll take more Bible studies at church once I have more time.” 

This week, I encourage all of us to examine our lives and to start doing some pre-spring cleaning of sorts with the priorities of our lives.  Dust off and get rid of those misplaced priorities!  What might our lives look like if we put God first?  If we really truly believed and lived our lives with God being the big thing in our lives – the number one priority – how might our lives look?  I believe that if we make God’s big thing our big thing, and if we seek Him first, we will have more contentment, more fulfillment, more joy and a deeper peace then we could ever imagine.  I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start some spring cleaning! 

Casting Crowns has a song called “Slow Fade” that is a good reminder to us what happens when we compromise and don't seek after God’s plan for us. 

In His Grip!

Pastor Carol

Praying in Public

Have you ever taken a shortcut in your faith life?  Ever skipped saying thank you to God for the food in front of you because you were in a public restaurant?  This past weekend, Pastor Steve talked about Daniel.  Daniel is all about a world that pushes us to compromise or take a shortcut in our faith. 

It’s amazing to me how easily we all make compromises in our faith walk.  This week I tried to pay attention to those moments or those situations in which compromise might be rearing its ugly head.  And, sadly, there were a few times when I made a conscious decision not to pray out loud or not to share God’s Word with someone that I should have.  I was at a lunch at a conference this weekend and rather than praying for the whole table, I quietly bowed my head and thanked God for His abundance and for the nourishment He provided.  I should have asked to pray for the whole group, but I took a shortcut.  Even at home, sometimes we all get busy.  Perhaps you were trying to get the kids to school and the spouse out the door, so you may have skipped a prayer over breakfast.  The problem is, the more we do that, the easier it is to continue to make little compromises.  Over time those little shortcuts leave us with a big gaping hole in our faith walk and in our relationship with God. 

Last week, I ran into a friend at the grocery store who I had not seen for several years.  Things have not been going very well for her.  I was in a real hurry, but I took an extra 30 seconds to put my arm around her and say a short prayer.  Tears flowed and God’s love was showered down on her from heaven!  What if I would have merely told her that I would pray for her rather than taking the time to pray with her on the spot?  Well, I would have missed seeing heaven open up around us and a wounded heart begin to be healed.  If I would have taken the shortcut, which sometimes we all do, I would have missed out on being a part of God’s healing for that person. 

Here’s a song by Cory Asbury called “Faithful to the End.”  Regardless if we are faithful, God is always faithful to us to the end.

To His Glory!

Pastor Carol

What's Your Motto?

In last week’s sermon, Pastor Skip mentioned a Scottish family motto:  Saved to serve.  That got me to thinking what’s my motto or my family’s motto?  Do I even have one?  If so, what would it be?

God not only revealed His heart to us, but He calls on us to be the ones who are to reveal and share God’s heart with others.  With Feed Haiti starting this Sunday, we have a tangible way to share God's love to others.  We can help to nourish children’s bodies with the food we pack, and God can nourish their souls.  When we work hand-in-hand, heart-to-heart with God, great things can be accomplished in this world. 

What’s your motto going to be?  Here are a few famous people’s mottos:

The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule... - Albert Einstein

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. - Mahatma Gandhi

Do right. Do your best. Treat others as you want to be treated. - Lou Holtz

Find a need and fill it. - Ruth Stafford Peale

If you were to ask me, my motto would probably be “Blessed to be a blessing.”  We are all called to help each other.  When a blessing is showered on me, I in turn need to be a blessing to another person.  I like this motto and it kind of reminds me of that movie “Pay It Forward.”  If I help three people and then each of those three people help another three people, just think how far and wide “blessings” would go, especially if we ask God to guide us in delivering those blessings. 

Here’s a song from Hillsong that reminds us how BLESSED we are as children of God. 

To His Glory!

Pastor Carol