Tag: ashes
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Sackcloth and Ashes
Psalm 115; Ezra 9:5–15; John 16:16–24 Collective guilt has been on the top of many lists in the last year. Regardless of your political, philosophical, or religious perspective of the collective guilt issues, it does allow us to better understand the pressure that Ezra felt…somewhat. Ezra was trying to make up for generations of sin…
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Joy to Tears
Psalm 22:25–31; Amos 8:1–7; Acts 8:1b–8 For many people, singing in worship of God is a significant part of their life of faith. They love the joy-filled worship of God. The image provided in Amos takes those joy-filled songs and turns them into songs of pain, sorrow, and lament. The misery of the people of…
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Storms of Dust
No one in their right mind would want to bring into something new all the tattered, worn out, bloody, hateful stuff into something beautifully new. It’s good that the old will be gone.
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Billboard or Reflection
Pursuit of the knowledge of God without pursuit of the heart of God is often an empty pursuit. Yes, we can learn more facts about God. That doesn’t mean we actually know God. God wants us to know God, not merely know of God.
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Confessing in Trust
Daniel 9:3-10, Psalm 25:1-10, 1 John 1:5-10 The ashes that many had on their foreheads yesterday are gone, either rubbed or washed off. As we read yesterday, ashes are a sign of repentance. Daniel sought God through prayer, supplication, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. Daniel uses these 5 things not to get a reward, nor in…
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Grateful In Ashes
Joel 2:12-17, Psalm 51:1-17, 2 Corinthians 4:21-6:10 (read online ⧉) Through the prophet Joel, God sought to realign the life of the Israelites to Him. God was calling them to live a life oriented to Him. God didn’t want them to miss out on the life they were meant for. As we begin the Lenten…
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Circle of Life and Death
Genesis 2:4–19, Isaiah 2:11–22, Proverbs 3:1–18 “…Ashes to Ashes; Dust to Dust…”—Book of Common Prayer, Burial Liturgy The Circle of Life was (and remains) a powerful song. Just the title itself reminds us that life is a circle. Adam (i.e., mankind) came from dust. That dirt swept off the floor or vacuumed out of the…
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Ash Wednesday
Isaiah 58:1–12, Psalm 51:1–17, Matthew 6:19–21 Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, the reflective Christian journey to the cross. One of the symbolic pieces are the ashes themselves. The “official” tradition is that the ashes are from last year’s Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the day that observes Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with…