Tonight was Ash Wednesday. The beginning of the season of Lent.
It was a beautiful candlelight service. Ancient worship music. The solemn placing of the sign of the cross in ashes on each persons forehead to remind us of Jesus' death on the cross and more importantly his victory over sin and death in the resurrection. The ash reminds us of our mortality and weakness, but that Christ is the opposite, he is immortal and all-powerful (omnipotent). And he loves you. Through his death and suffering we have been offered a gift. The gift of salvation. If we accept it - we accept immortality with Him. A beautiful thing.
As the youth read the sacred scriptures for the service, I thought how significant it was. Jesus also stood up in his home church (synagogue) and read from the scripture. These youth followed in his holy footsteps and are playing a role in the epic story of life that we are all still a part of. We are in God's story of love and redemption. We are the children of Israel.
Luke 4:16-21
16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
After the service, a few of the ladies begged to run over to see Matt and Brent's indoor soccer game. So, we relented, drove through the slush and snow and caught the last few minutes of it. Brent should have a great black eye after a face to face conversation with the wall. Excellent job!
Grace and Peace to you!
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To the fantastic young ladies and their devoted leaders:
Thank you so much for using your spiritual gifts on our behalf on a cold and slushy Ash Wednesday. It was an awe-filled experience for many of us. You are a blessing that we have not earned, but which we accept as God's grace. I look forward to your continued worship participation and leadership in the future.
May God continue to bless you and use you to bless others.
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