February being a short month seems to have plenty of activities connected to it here at First Christian. Two ecumenical weekends have been planned titled “Christian Experience Weekend” a time of renewal and getting reacquainted with Jesus Christ. It will also be a time to make new friendships with others from Nevada and surrounding areas. It is not too late to register see Anna or myself for registration forms, for men it is the first weekend of the month and for women the third weekend.
February also brings with it Valentine’s Day a time of love. It is on a Sunday this year and we may have to acknowledge this day of love in some way in the service. Our church will also have a wedding in the sanctuary that day so I ask that you pray for our bride and groom, Jenny Valline and Ryan Woods as they begin their life together as a married couple.
The third event February brings is Ash Wednesday. This is the name given to the first day of the season of Lent. This is a Christian holiday that does not have a biblical requirement like Christmas and Easter, however it has been honored by Christians for well over ten centuries and was originally called day of ashes, because in scripture we read that those who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Job 42:6 speaks of this and Jesus alludes to the practice in Matthew 11:21.
Placing ashes on a forehead in the Ash Wednesday service is an outward manifestation of inner repentance and is a reminder of our mortality and sinfulness. God said to Adam after he had sinned: “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19) This is the bad news of our sinfulness that prepares us to receive the good news of forgiveness in Christ. The cross of ashes is a sign of the good news that is yet to come. We know that through Christ we have entered into life eternal, the fullness of life that will not end when our bodies give out.
The emotional result of Ash Wednesday observance isn’t depression or gloom, but gratitude and new energy for living. Many traditions feel Lent is a time to give up something in the tradition of fasting, however I often feel Lent is a time to add something to your life. If you are not reading the Bible, begin reading or begin daily devotions, a time to read a meaningful book or a time to volunteer to others. This is a time to realize how desperately we need God and offering our lives to him in fresh gratitude and a time to find passion in the gift that each and every day brings.
We will have an Ash Wednesday service here at First Christian on February 17 at 6:00 in the sanctuary. Come and experience a service of repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Smiling in Christ,
Pastor Karen
