ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE TONIGHT AT 7PM! Daily Devotional Wednesday March 5th Today instead of having a daily verse I thought we would talk briefly about Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday: The first day of Lent. It marks the beginning of a period of reflection and penance. In the Bible, sprinkling oneself with ashes was traditionally a sign of ones sorrow for having committed sins. In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday also marked the beginning of preparation for the understanding of the death and resurrection of Christ. The particular symbolism of ashes for this day comes from a practice in the Roman Catholic churches in which the ashes from the palms used in the preceding years Palm Sunday celebration are blessed. With these ashes, the priest on the first day of Lent marks a cross on the forehead of each worshiper. This practice has become a part of Ash Wednesday services in many United Methodist churches. As a youth I never thought much of lent or Ash Wednesday except that it meant I would have to give something up for an extended period of time. This is a fast, although we are still eating, we are fasting from whatever it is in our lives that we have chosen to give up. The idea is to give something up that you enjoy or consider a part of your daily routine, and in missing this activity or beverage or “thing” we are to lift up our thoughts to God as a spiritual discipline leading up to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Fasting in general is a largely underrated practice in our time. Jesus’ fasted for 40 days in the desert and he was God, so we should look at this as an example and not dismiss fasting. John Wesley, our Methodist founder fasted 1-2 times a week and encouraged us all to do it every Friday. I am not telling you to starve yourself, it is a routine designed to help us grow closer to God and I want to encourage you to learn about its significance. Good luck with your upcoming season and remember to break the fast every Sunday and party it up with your family! It is not supposed to be torture, it can be tough, but God loves us and has given us this practice as a part of our spiritual growth. Peace! -This is an interesting subject, if you have any questions or would like to know more about the history of fasting in the church then PLEASE reach out to your pastors and youth pastors.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 22:25:50 +0000
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