Ashes

Confession  - long, comprehensive, even arduous confession - is the gift of Ash Wednesday.

On this day, you can stand before the Lord.  No that's not quite right.  On this day you are invited to stand before the Lord and take some time to confess.  Take time to give it some thought, stop all the motion and consider the broken places in yourself, consider how your brokenness had led to harm for another, admit all the places where you have been bruised and battered by someone else's broken nature.  We are to bring to mind all that we have done which increased the darkness instead of the light.  We are to be honest about all the things which we didn't do, the things that were more than good, they were necessary.  It is a time to think about our own backyard, our neighborhood, our nation and even the world.

We bring all of this to the foot of the cross and are met there by the Lord whose love casts out all darkness.  In this place we are safe - for our Lord expects nothing from us but the truth, and offers to us nothing less than his perfect, life giving love.

Ash Wednesday is one of the Church's treasures.  Confession, God's
Word, Bread and Wine....as simple as that.  If you missed it yesterday, today is never too late.
Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Joel 2