Call to Confession
Human sin is universal; we all do it, not
only Christians. But our church tradition
sets aside Ash Wednesday as a particular day
to address sin and death. We do this mindful
that "God hates nothing God has made and
forgives the sins of all who are
penitent."
We are ALL sinners, no better and no worse
than our brothers and sisters. This is not a
day to compete ("my sins are worse than yours
are"), but to confess.
Ash Wednesday is the gateway to Lent. We have
forty precious days to open ourselves up most
particularly to God, to examine ourselves in
the presence of one who created us, knows us,
and loves us. We have forty days to face
ourselves and learn to not be afraid of our
sinfulness. We ARE dust, and to dust we shall
return, but with Godís grace we can learn to
live this life more fully, embracing our
sinfulness, allowing God to transform us.
from
Ash Wednesday—A Wake-up Call
by The Rev. Margaret W. Jones
Our Deepest Yearning
The journey of Lent with its climax in Good
Friday and Easter is about embarking on the
way of Jesus, on that path of mortality and
transformation that is at the very center
of the Christian life.
When you think of it, who of us does not
yearn for this? Who of us does not yearn for
a fuller connection to life? Who does not
yearn for an identity that releases us from
anxiety and self-preoccupation? To be born
again, it seems to me, corresponds to our
deepest yearning.
from Leaving the Land of the
Dead
by Dr. Marcus J. Borg
Read more Reflections on Lent
Clearing the Channels
Lent invites us to clear the
channels—open the gates—unbar the
doors that keep us safe and stuck in the
comfortable patterns that are so familiar.
Take time this week to consider how you are
closed off to new experiences and begin to
crack the walls that hold you enclosed.
from Journaling
as a Spiritual Practice
for Lent
