Ash Wednesday 2023

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Scripture: Joel 2:12-14 (NRSV)

12    Yet even now, says the Lord,

return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13       rend your hearts and not your clothing.

Return to the Lord, your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,

and relents from punishing.

14    Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,

and leave a blessing behind him,

 

Devotion:

           

            Today’s scripture will be heard in churches the world over as the Old Testament reading for the day. It is an invitation from God to his people to repent with weeping and mourning for their sin. The point of the passage is that our God is a God of second chances. He does not wish for any to perish but is patient with us, wanting everyone to come to know and worship him. (2 Peter 3:9) This is good news for our chaotic and hurting world.

           

            Ash Wednesday is when we hear that we are nothing, but ashes and dust hardly seems the place for such great good news. However, our God loves to show grace and mercy to his creation. God delights in bringing good out of a world filled with evil and pain. What Joel writes is that God is a God of steadfast love. The Hebrew word behind our translation is chesed which is word that we cannot truly do justice to in an English translation. .

 

            God’s love is everlasting. We who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus can rest assured that though our earthly destiny may be ashes and dust our eternal destiny is a life spent with our Savior and Lord in a new heaven and a new earth. (Revelation 21:1) Even though Joel was writing to his audience about a specific time and place. We can feel comfortable in appropriating these words for us in our situation today. We who have benefited from Jesus coming to be our Savior know the chesed of God full well.

 

            We have in Jesus own words the promise that he will never leave us or forsake us. (Matthew 28:20b) These words from Joel confirm that God is for us and not against us. The Holy Spirit inspires the Biblical writers to make the promise of God’s love for us being everlasting. We who are incapable of pleasing being perfectly holy and righteous on our own can rejoice that Jesus has made us holy and righteous in God’s sight. Let us pray a prayer of praise and thanksgiving that we have been so loved.

 

Prayer:

 

            Lord God Almighty, receive our prayer of thanksgiving today. That although we are made of nothing but ashes and dust, we will live forever in the place you have prepared for us. Our earthly life is brutal and short compared with the life we have in you. Let our hearts be repentant of the wrong we have done, so that we may receive your forgiveness. May our hearts always be open to receiving your love. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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