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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends, today is a unique day on the calendar… Ash Wednesday.
Depending on where you live in the world you may see people today with ashes on their forehead in the shape of a cross. What does it mean and why does almost every calendar in the world have the words “Ash Wednesday” printed on this date, February 26th, this year?
May I ask another question? Is it just coincidence that yesterday all around the world was called Carnival or Mardi Gras, and was marked by extreme celebration and in some cases outrageous, raucous behavior?
In our ‘Walking with Jesus’ journey through the Bible, we’re currently in the early chapters of the story of the prophet Samuel. In the next few days we’ll come to the key verse which explains Samuel’s life and God’s purpose in blessing barren Hannah with this miraculous son Samuel. 1 Samuel 2:35 is a strong word from God to Eli, the High Priest at Shiloh where we saw in our reading yesterday, Samuel was brought by Hannah to live and serve for the rest of his life. This strong word from God was: “I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and mind.”
This verse explains to us that God had a very specific purpose in blessing barren Hannah with Samuel. The spiritual leadership of Israel at that time, was Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas. 1 Samuel 2:12 says “Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.” What a tragedy! Israel’s spiritual leadership were corrupt. Israel, was floundering as a people of God, and so God raised up a special, spiritual man, who would follow Him wholeheartedly and lead the people of Israel back to God. That man was Samuel.
All through human history God has done this, raising up spiritually passionate men and women who call their families, their communities, even their nations back to God in repentance for our natural sinfulness, which has led us away from God. This is the essence of Ash Wednesday and the season of “Lent” which follows: A calling back to God.
While most often this is part of the Catholic tradition, may I offer us some understanding today and call us to consider what the Holy Spirit of God might want to do in all our lives on this day, and between now and Easter 2020?
Let’s begin with this: Ash Wednesday is not found anywhere in the Bible. Jesus never mentioned it nor did any of the Apostles. It was not an annual event in Bible times.
We do, however, find a practice in ancient times, recorded several times in the Old Testament, which may provide some historical roots for Ash Wednesday, as we see it today. Repentance for sin sometimes took on extreme behavior.
When Ezra found out many of the leaders of God’s people had violated the covenant, and married women from the surrounding nations, some of whom were idol worshipers, Ezra 9:3 says: “When I heard this I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled… until the evening sacrifice. “
In Job 42:6, Job describes his shame and repentance in this way “…I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
Matthew records for us that Jesus on one occasion rebuked some unrepentant people this way: “Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.’Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes…” (Matt. 11:20,21)
In Jonah we find the remarkable account that in response to Jonah’s warning of coming judgement from God. “The king of Nineveh rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: let everyone urgently call on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from His fierce anger so that we will not perish.” (Jonah 3:5-9)
From the days of Adam and Eve, down through human history to our day, God has called the human race to recognize that HE is holy and we were made in His image, but we have failed miserably. We, all of us, are far from holy. We are sinful, wicked, evil at the our very core of our being. (Romans 3) God calls us to recognize our sinfulness…. and repent.
Repent means not only do we acknowledge our sin, but we take action… we turn from it, we stop doing it, we turn to God, recognizing the judgement we deserve for our sin is death! Of course we don’t deserve nor can we earn God’s forgiveness for our wickedness, but Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth for the purpose of giving His life as a sin sacrifice for humanity! That’s what Easter weekend is all about, right? Our forgiveness from God is only possible because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
So Ash Wednesday is intended to be a global call to reflection. What if on this one day, everyone, everywhere in the world, would stop and be deeply introspective. Each and all of us looking deeply into our lives, looking at our families, our communities, our nations, and acknowledging the reality of our desperate sinfulness. We can’t escape it, we deserve God’s judgment, all of us, and that judgment is death (Romans 6:23).
But this day is also a call to look forward, 46 days from now, to Easter weekend and all that Jesus said and accomplished that weekend, as God’s hopeful answer for a desperate human race, who deserves death judgment. Ash Wednesday therefore is a call to desperate repentance and hopeful anticipation.
Desperate repentance for sins both of omission and commission. The bad things we have said or done, and the God honoring things we could have said or done, but we didn’t. We are desperately sinful and worthy of God’s judgement, aren’t we?
And hopeful anticipation, that Easter is coming, and Jesus paid the full price for our sin forgiveness and earned for us, all the other aspects of our great salvation: our adoption into God’s family; our justification; our regeneration; (new birth through the Holy Spirit) and of course our assurance of eternity with God in heaven!
But why this day some might ask?
Christian history is filled with the significance of 40 days. Jonah warned the people of Nineveh they had 40 days to repent before God’s judgement would fall upon them. (Jonah 3:4) 3 times Moses was up Mount Sinai with God for 40 days (Ex. 24:18; 34:28; Deut. 9:18).
Strengthened by God provided food, Elijah walked 40 days to meet with God on that same mountain, after the great showdown on Mount Carmel with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 19:8). And of course Jesus was in the desert of temptation with Satan for 40 days (Matt. 4:1-11) as He began His ministry, and the resurrected Jesus appeared for 40 days to many people, between His resurrection and His ascension. (Acts 1:3)
So, centuries ago this tradition began which is called by many LENT. 40 days (not including Sundays) leading up to Easter, in which people are encouraged to prepare for the greatest weekend of all time… the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, which makes it possible for any person to experience life transformation, as we go from condemnation for sin to new eternal life in Jesus Christ! Ash Wednesday is the first day of this LENT journey toward Easter.
In some religious traditions, the ashes, as in centuries past, are applied to the forehead on this repentant Ash Wednesday. The ashes are a public symbol of this day of reflection and repentance, and the beginning of a 40 day journey of preparation for Easter. They are placed on the forehead as to be visible by all, and symbolic that taking on the ashes, as in ancient times, is done with clear thought and intentional repentance.
In some cases the Palms from the previous Palm Sunday are burned and those ashes are used on Ash Wednesday, as symbolic of the sinful reality that some of those who celebrated Jesus on Palm Sunday, are presumed to also be among those who called for His crucifixion only 5 days later! A reminder of how quickly we humans can turn away from God and yet God’s forgiveness, earned by Jesus on the cross, is sufficient to pay for any sin (1 John 1:9).
As I close today, may I call us to consider one more thing… the reality of Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday being only hours apart? Is that a sad but true commentary on our human condition? There’s a verse I’d like to call us to ponder as we consider these two days and what they mean: “Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. I cried out to Him with my mouth, His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the LORD would not have listened. But God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!” (Psalm 66:16-20)
Could it be ‘Mardi Gras’ is a global symbol for ‘cherished sin’? This one day in which it appears almost anything is acceptable, even the most debased behavior… with the anticipation that, the next day is repentance day, Ash Wednesday! Oh my friends, let’s be very careful to never presume on God’s compassion and mercy. God will not be mocked, as we will see when we re-engage the story of Eli’s two wicked sons, in 1 Samuel tomorrow.
Oh LORD Jesus, may this day, Ash Wednesday, be a day in which You find millions of people world-wide, giving serious consideration to their need for YOU and the forgiveness and salvation YOU earned on Calvary for us.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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