Day 1 - Ash Wednesday

Day 1 – Ash Wednesday

 

"…Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt." Genesis 3:19b (TMSG)

 

Ash Wednesday is a day that brings us once again face to face with our own mortality.  We've all stood by the grave of a loved one.  We all have experienced the touch of grief.  This is a human experience.  It is one of those things that give us common ground with our fellow human beings.  We all live, and we all know what it means that death will one day come.

 

This day reminds us that we are not going to live forever in this body, on this earth.  As the minister/priest places the mix of ashes and oil on our heads in the form of the cross, we become identified with the brevity of life.  And therefore, it's importance.

 

This Lent, as we begin on a journey together toward the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, let us start with the appreciation of life.  I am reminded of Tim McGraw's famous song, "Live Like You Were Dying." 

 

He said I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before me
And one moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays
Talking bout' the options and talking bout' sweet times.
I asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end
How's it hit 'cha when you get that kind of news?
Man what did ya do?
He said

I went skydiving
I went rocky mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'
And he said some day I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dyin'

 

In this journey of Lent, let us begin by appreciating the life we have, laying down those things which keep us from living it fully and turning our eyes toward the cross.

 

Prayer:  "Lord, this day, as I bear the sign of the cross on I forehead, may I remember you have given me this life as a gift and to live fully everyday.  In Christ's name, Amen."