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Good morning, Saints! I pray this finds you resting and drying off a bit before the next round of rain supposedly on the way next weekend.
If you are looking ahead to next Wednesday, February 14, 2024, you might notice something unusual. Yes, a February 14 chime may have rung in your mind, stirring up romantic curiosity and provoking pre-planning as it is the date Valentine's Day is celebrated each year.
What is not so common is that it is also Ash Wednesday this year. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the observance of the forty-day journey leading to Easter Sunday, known as the season of Lent. Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday occurrences have only happened one other time in my lifetime - in 2018. However, after doing some quick research, most sources agree that it occurred only a few other times this past century, in 1923, 1934, and 1945. After next Wednesday, it won’t happen again until 2029. Interestingly and seemingly paradoxically, Easter has also fallen on April 1, 2024, which is April Fools Day, not a holiday but a custom in many cultures. It misses Fools Day this year and lands on March 31, 2024. Regardless, we can all agree that we are fools for Christ every day!
On Ash Wednesday, we examine our own lives, taking stock of our sinful nature by birth. It is an opportunity to express sorrow for sin and seek a contrite heart; we repent and remember God’s words to Adam and Eve after the fall, “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19(b). But it doesn’t end there. Beyond hearts and chocolates, we live with growing anticipation during Lent for Easter Sunday with the hope and joy of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ - an Easter message forthcoming.
During the season of Lent, as we reflect and meditate on scripture, we closely observe Jesus’ journey to His death on the cross. Mark 10:32-34 captures Jesus describing this to his twelve disciples, “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."
Visually, the color purple typically adorns Lutheran churches during Lent as a symbol of royalty, celebrating Christ as He wore it only once as he was mocked as the “King of the Jews” prior to his gruesome crucifixion. On Ash Wednesday, repentant Christians worldwide impose ashes on their forehead as a symbol reminding us that we are but dust, and to dust we shall return. We also voluntarily impose ashes during our chapel service on Ash Wednesday. Many Lutheran churches also offer a mid-week Wednesday evening service during the season of Lent as a continued vigil of Easter. Some Christians also practice fasting and giving up or adding something during Lent. For example, giving up meat on Fridays as often practiced in the Catholic tradition, giving up singing of Alleluia in hymns as practiced in the Lutheran tradition, or giving up a part of a diet routine like sweets, coffee, or soda during Lent. Some add something, like additional time in God’s Word and meditating during the season of Lent.
For our American culture, my guess is that the Valentine's Day celebration will get more traction and be celebrated beyond an Ash Wednesday observation, but not for the life of a Christian. We can celebrate St. Valentine's Day on Fat Tuesday, ahead of Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday, also called Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, is a day of indulging prior to Ash Wednesday. I won’t go into details; most know what Mardi Gras entails, and yes, it can include hearts, chocolates, and a nice meal. As Christians, we would be remiss if our reflections on Ash Wednesday, remembering we are dust, and dust we shall return, were edged out by even St. Valentine. No, I am not anti-romantic, nor do I hold anything against the commandeered Valentine's Day, mostly now dominated by Hallmark.
Thinking of ourselves as nothing more than dust seems like a dark, cold, hopeless place. Today's devotion verse has something to say about that. In fact, Ash Wednesday and our Lenten journey point us to hope. In this journey, our Lord will not forget or fail us in spite of our sin, “And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.” Mark 13:27. God’s perfect plan includes us, and only because of Jesus Christ!
Imagine God's angels gathering His beloved from everywhere and calling them home to Him. It seems like a mystery as to how that happens. On this side of heaven, we won’t know, but even though we are dust, He knows His chosen, and His chosen are forgiven, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:9).
Nothing is unknown, forgotten, or lost by our Heavenly Father, dear Saints. Especially, He remembers those who love Him. “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do,” Hebrews 6:10. May our God, the Author of love, bless your Ash Wednesday and Lenten journey as together we eagerly anticipate Easter. May it be a blessing to you as you again experience the depth of Jesus’ obedience and the great love of God to redeem a world so desperately in need of salvation. Amen.
We Pray: Most gracious Father in Heaven, as we reflect on our own sin during this time of Lent, we are mindful that without Your grace given in Jesus, we’d be doomed to be just dust. Yet we are comforted by scripture to know that You will send out Your angels and gather us from the four winds, from the ends of the earth into the ends of heaven. We know we can only gather because of the gift of Your Son, who died, was buried, and rose again from the dead to conquer sin, death, and the devil. Thank You for Your Word that guides us daily. It is our timeless roadmap helping us to grow closer to You as we serve You in this world. Please be with our faculty, staff, students, and families as we prepare our hearts for Easter together; we pray this in the holy name of Jesus Christ! Amen.
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