Tonight is Ash Wednesday. I realize it’s a day that many people in our church are not familiar with. At least, I realize that now.



In high school, I went to a Presbyterian church that practiced Ash Wednesday every year, so I never thought of it as just a “Catholic thing,” but it seems that’s exactly what many people do think. I didn’t put together that people who grew up in other circles may not know anything about Ash Wednesday, or the season of Lent that it begins.



When I first came to CrossPoint, we started celebrating the season of Advent; the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. It was received very well, and I assumed Lent would go the same way. However, many people seem to have questions about the practices of fasting and the imposition of ashes that come with Lent - the 40-ish day season of preparation through fasting that leads up to Easter.



Tonight, those who choose to go along with what we’re doing will start some version of fasting. There are many ways to do this, but I’m choosing a simple (although potentially difficult for some) method. No food from sunup to sundown, except on Sundays when we celebrate the Lord’s Day. Others may choose to fast on certain days, with certain foods, or may choose abstinence from things that take their attention away from God. Social media, caffeine, chocolate, and alcohol are common choices, but there is really no end to the number of things that distract us from God.



My hope is that whether you choose to do the same thing I’m doing, or something different, that the process will be a blessing that draws you closer to God. This, after all, is the heart behind Lent. To realize our limited state as humans, and to repent from our sin as we turn to God. This is also why we will be imposing ashes.



Ashes are both a symbol of repentance that goes back to very early in the Old Testament, and a reminder of creation and the fall. When Adam first brought sin into the world, God explained to him that not only was he formed out of the dust, but that his sin now forced him to return to the dust in death. We, like Adam, are also creations of God that will one day see a physical death (at least most of us will).



Fortunately though, the answer to all of these things shows up at the cross and is proven at the resurrection of Christ. We are limited, but God is not. He can fix all the things we mess up and can’t control. So while we remember that we are dust, we must also remember that we can let go of trying to fix everything, and trust God to do His work in us.



I pray that your fasting starts strong, and you begin to experience God’s presence in new and profound ways.

In Christ,

Pastor Dan