Lenten Devotion for February 20

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Wednesday February 20, 2013
(Anne Germond)
Readings For The Day
John 3:1?10
Psalm 51:1?13
Luke 11:29?32
Psalm 51:1-2
?Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast
love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my
transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin.?
Ps. 51: 11-13
?Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take
your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit. Then I will teach
transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.?
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open,
all desires known, and from you no secrets are
hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by
the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your
holy name; through Christ our Lord.
(BAS pg. 771)
?Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall
return+?; ?Remember that you are dust?+?;
?Remember+?; ?Remember+?. The words are
repeated over and over again and can be heard throughout
the church on Ash Wednesday as people line up to receive
a smudged ash cross on their forehead. Then it is my turn
to hear the same words spoken to me as a cross is made
on mine. ?Remember that you are dust, and to dust you
shall return+?. What are we to remember as we carry that
smudge with us through the day, and though faded, through
the season of Lent? They are a powerful reminder of our
mortality, but also that we are sinners in need of repentance.
Lent is an opportunity for us to be honest about
the power and the hold that sin can have over our lives
when we refuse to acknowledge them or turn away from
them. We live with the guilt, the shame, and the disgrace
of what we have done, of who we have hurt, or of what
we have neglected to do as followers of Jesus. David?s
sin was so great that he likely wailed when he sang of his
transgressions and pleaded to God for forgiveness. ?Wash
me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from me
sin.?(vs.2)
Yet, even as we confront our failures this Lent our
ashes are also there as reminder that our brokenness is no
match for God?s grace. ?Remember, remember, remember.?
Remember that at Baptism we were made children of God
and with a cross of oil on our foreheads anointed as Christ?s
forever.
It is in the very moment that we acknowledge our
helplessness before God that the way back to God is
opened for us again. David also sings of this ? ?Restore
to me the joy of your salvation.? (vs. 11) Our sin is not
the end. The promise of forgiveness and life in union with
Jesus Christ, a life of meaning, purpose and ministry is.
As you carry the ashes with you throughout Lent,
may they remind you that they are a sign of renewal and
recreation, and that our God will not rest until we are all
transformed to His likeness.