For Ash Wednesday
Lamb of God,
Today, Ash Wednesday, is much more than just the first day of the season of Lent; it is a reminder of my mortality. Anyone who has stood at the graveside of a Christian friend or family member has likely heard the eerie reminder, “ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” That reference to ashes, as well as the ashen crosses that will mark the foreheads and forearms of many today, serve as emphatic markers of my mortality. I will die. We all will die. Of this we can be certain, for death comes to all who sin.
But the intent and purpose of this day is not to leave us woefully wallowing and dispirited by the inescapable reality of our death. No, it is a call to repentance, and yes, even a joyful confidence in confessing those very sins for which I will experience death. This confident confession that by faith turns me toward Jesus, my Savior, assures me that he was the sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sin of the world – and who therefore takes away my sin.
For that reason, though I will die because of my sin, I will never be condemned because of it. Hell is not my final destination, since Jesus endured it in my place. Therefore, today and throughout this season of Lent, may I repeat the refrain on my heart again and again:
“Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the life-blood
From his sacred veins.
Grace and life eternal
In that blood I find;
Blest be His compassion,
Infinitely kind” (Glory Be to Jesus, stanzas 1&2).
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.