Ash Wednesday Meditation
A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:1-5)
In the Old Testament it was common practice for individuals to show sorrow over sin by wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes. It was an attempt to show on the outside the misery that was going on inside.
The writer of Psalm 51, King David, had reason to be sorrowful over his sin. 2 Samuel 11,12 paint an ugly picture of David the sinner. He slept with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and she became pregnant. After attempts to cover up the affair failed, he arranged to have Uriah killed. David’s sin was horrible and damnable.
David asked for forgiveness that he knew he did not deserve. So rather than trying to candy-coat his actions, he was honest. He admits sin, iniquity, transgression and evil which had affected and infected him from the time he was born. David did not deserve to be forgiven, so he simply threw himself on God’s mercy begging for forgiveness. It was a forgiveness that God freely gave him.
As Christians celebrate Ash Wednesday, we continue to be sorrowful over the sins we have committed. We also need to be honest with God and admit the sin, iniquity, transgression and evil that have come from our sinful hearts. Lent is a Christian season when we consider the payment Jesus made for our sin. As we follow Jesus to the cross on Calvary, we see God’s undeserved love and mercy which he offers to all people.
Join King David in confessing your sin. Be assured that through Jesus Christ you have been forgiven!
A few notes about our Ash Wednesday service:
We will once again observe this solemn evening of worship with the imposition of ashes. It has become a cherished tradition these past few years. You will be invited to place a cross of ashes on a sackcloth banner. It is a reminder to be like Job and despise ourselves and to repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6).
Ash Wednesday will be the beginning of our midweek Lenten series on the People of the Passion. Every Wednesday night, the pastors from Epiphany, First Evan, New Hope and Trinity, will lead us in quiet and contemplative worship.
The passion of Jesus Christ was all about people. Jesus suffered and died for all people. People were there; people took part; and people stood by and watched. What do we know about these people? This Lenten series on the People of the Passion centers on a key person or people and their roles in Jesus' death and resurrection - from Judas to Pontius Pilate to the women who first saw the resurrected Jesus. Come see yourself in these People of the Passion.
Just as with all of our Festival services at Epiphany, we will celebrate the Lord’s Holy Supper. Because we are hoping for and expecting a full church for Ash Wednesday, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper with Continuous Communion. We want to be able to receive the Lord’s body and blood for our forgiveness, strengthening and nourishment. However, we do not want communing approximately 150-180 people to become an impediment to our timely worship.
All of the midweek Lenten services, excluding Ash Wednesday, are designed to last about 45 minutes. It is a wonderful time to spend with your family (even young children) being fed first with a supper in the church basement and then God’s Word in the church.
You are once again invited to our Lenten suppers at 5:30 pm every Wednesday. Our supper on March 9 will be catered by Olive Garden.
In the Old Testament it was common practice for individuals to show sorrow over sin by wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes. It was an attempt to show on the outside the misery that was going on inside.
The writer of Psalm 51, King David, had reason to be sorrowful over his sin. 2 Samuel 11,12 paint an ugly picture of David the sinner. He slept with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, and she became pregnant. After attempts to cover up the affair failed, he arranged to have Uriah killed. David’s sin was horrible and damnable.
David asked for forgiveness that he knew he did not deserve. So rather than trying to candy-coat his actions, he was honest. He admits sin, iniquity, transgression and evil which had affected and infected him from the time he was born. David did not deserve to be forgiven, so he simply threw himself on God’s mercy begging for forgiveness. It was a forgiveness that God freely gave him.
As Christians celebrate Ash Wednesday, we continue to be sorrowful over the sins we have committed. We also need to be honest with God and admit the sin, iniquity, transgression and evil that have come from our sinful hearts. Lent is a Christian season when we consider the payment Jesus made for our sin. As we follow Jesus to the cross on Calvary, we see God’s undeserved love and mercy which he offers to all people.
Join King David in confessing your sin. Be assured that through Jesus Christ you have been forgiven!
A few notes about our Ash Wednesday service:
We will once again observe this solemn evening of worship with the imposition of ashes. It has become a cherished tradition these past few years. You will be invited to place a cross of ashes on a sackcloth banner. It is a reminder to be like Job and despise ourselves and to repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6).
Ash Wednesday will be the beginning of our midweek Lenten series on the People of the Passion. Every Wednesday night, the pastors from Epiphany, First Evan, New Hope and Trinity, will lead us in quiet and contemplative worship.
The passion of Jesus Christ was all about people. Jesus suffered and died for all people. People were there; people took part; and people stood by and watched. What do we know about these people? This Lenten series on the People of the Passion centers on a key person or people and their roles in Jesus' death and resurrection - from Judas to Pontius Pilate to the women who first saw the resurrected Jesus. Come see yourself in these People of the Passion.
Just as with all of our Festival services at Epiphany, we will celebrate the Lord’s Holy Supper. Because we are hoping for and expecting a full church for Ash Wednesday, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper with Continuous Communion. We want to be able to receive the Lord’s body and blood for our forgiveness, strengthening and nourishment. However, we do not want communing approximately 150-180 people to become an impediment to our timely worship.
All of the midweek Lenten services, excluding Ash Wednesday, are designed to last about 45 minutes. It is a wonderful time to spend with your family (even young children) being fed first with a supper in the church basement and then God’s Word in the church.
You are once again invited to our Lenten suppers at 5:30 pm every Wednesday. Our supper on March 9 will be catered by Olive Garden.
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