The "R" Words Of Lent

As we begin the Lenten season, I am drawn to the words that have swirled around in my head the past couple of months.  They may look like just a lot of words, but words shape us, and hold power, vision, hope, and so much more.  

 Repentance.....renewal..........restoration........regeneration.........revitalize.......rebirth...reflection.   

Ash Wednesday is observed today in some denominations.  It holds importance for us as Lutherans as it signifies the beginning of Lent.  Joel and I have graced the doors of many different denominational churches and we say often to ourselves, "Lutherans know how to do Lent".  

It always begins for me with repentance, then moves into renewal.  Certainly, reflection that brings about renewal.  It is a time to let go of who we are, to become someone new.  We, ourselves, do not fast from something like some do, but we usually add something to bring our focus more on what Jesus did for us.  This year we are adding Lutheran Church of Hope's daily Lenten podcast with Pastor Mike Householder.  

The "r" words that have been swirling around in my head showed themselves long before this day.  God just kept bringing them up over and over.......I am paying attention as we walk into this season of our faith journey.  As we hear the words, "ashes to ashes" and feel the gritty substance on our foreheads,  as we heed the desire for repentance and renewal in our hearts we are grateful.  Grateful for the sacrifice.  Aware of the need to be on bended knee.  This is how Ash Wednesday begins.  Whether it is with "r" words, or sacrifice, subtracting or adding....we are asking Holy to walk through this Lenten season with us all,  lighting and enlightening our journey as only He can.  

A Story To Be Pondered

Yesterday we had pancakes for supper.  Shrove Tuesday, "Fat Tuesday", the day before Ash Wednesday is a time to "feast" as 40 days of lent means for many a time of sacrifice.  We do not practice that ritual of giving up something for Lent, but we do celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes covered in almond butter, fresh strawberries and blueberries, pure maple syrup and coconut based whipping cream.  Any excuse for pancakes in this house!

Today is Ash Wednesday, a time when many protestant denominations fill the pews of their churches for a service of worship.  Where they receive communion and ashes on their foreheads as a reminder of our mortality.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  Lent is a time to reflect.

I read a story over on Ann Voskamp's Blog about a woman named Ndubaayo, whom she met in Kenya.  This woman had walked 26 miles taking 8 hrs, barefoot across hills so that she could hear the Word of God.  She learned to read in her language and was able to hear and read the book of John at a church so many miles away..  She did this 5 days a week for 2 years.  Take a moment to think about that.

When this Kenyan woman became very ill and eventually bedridden her neighbors wished her to be dead and gone.  But she talked to God about those who said she was ill because she gave so much time to Him, and she asked for His courage.  As she talked to Him, she heard a voice say, "I hear you and I see you, and I know the goodness that your are doing."  And then she heard words she had never known in her life:  "Galations, verse 9".  She had no understanding of what it meant so when the "church mamas, 40 of them, came to see her she shared it with them.  They did not know either since they only had the book of John that had been translated into their language.  Someone there actually had an english Bible and they eventually realized Galations was a book in the Bible.  They went through all the chapters until they came to 6:9.  One woman could read enough English so she translated what it said.  "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow wearly."  It confirmed what God had told her.  She became well and recently Ann Voskamp was able to sit in a church in Kenya and listen to her tell 1,000 people about her story.   Only God.

When I read this story to Joel over lunch I could not stop crying.  It still brings me to tears.  Oh, people, we are so spoiled here in America.  We have so many Bibles within our reach and not one of us has to walk 26 miles barefoot to hear the word of God.  This woman, Ndubaayo was hungry for the Word of God.  She was willing to sacrifice much of her day, her energy, her life to be able to hear it.  She understood the importance of God's Word and His presence.  Ann Voskamp said when she met Ndubaayo her face was radiate with God's love.  Recently the whole Bible became available to Ndubaayo and so many others to read in their own language.  When she first received her own Bible?  She slept with it on her pillow right next to her.

So here it is, Ash Wednesday.  A time when we focus on those days before Good Friday.  A time when we focus on God's love for His people and Jesus sacrifice for us.  A time when many give up something for Lent....whether it is a food you love or a TV show you just can't miss.   Ann Voskamp's story about Ndubaayo, in a small village in Kenya, is there for me, for us to reflect on during this Holy season.  I am undone by it.  Humbled, repentant, and hungry for more time with God. Shaken by this woman's faith and willingness to sacrifice so much to hear and read God's Word.

As I walk up to the front of the church tonight to receive communion and the pastor puts the sign of the cross on my forehead with ashes, I will hear the words, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return"  Without Jesus those words would be frightening,wouldn't they, but with Jesus we know that our bodies may be mortal but eternal life awaits us.  God's Word came alive in Jesus.  I don't think I will ever look at Lent quite the same way again as I think about  Ndubaayo's sacrifices for God and His response to her.  Would I be so willing?  Would you?

Love Brings Us Full Circle

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and Joel and I have celebrated this holiday together for 52 years.  Mostly we just exchange cards, giving thanks for each other, and marveling at how time flies.  It is also Ash Wednesday and in our world this is a solomn season, the beginning of Lent.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  For over 35 years Joel uttered those words as he made the sign of a cross on foreheads.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

So this Ash Wednesday we will express joy in our love while remembering with quiet reflection our Savior's suffering and death, and our own mortality.  It seems appropriate, really, this combination of joy and sadness.  You can find both in what Jesus did for us all.  Sadness in the crucifixion, and joy in His resurrection and our salvation.

Spending the last 3 days on the losing side of a battle with a virus I choose not to label,  has had me bonding with our sofa.  This means Ash Wednesday will probably be spent at home.  One of the perks of being married to a pastor is we can have communion anytime we want to, and we do.  In the days I was the girl in the bubble, Joel would have a service with me at home...ashes to ashes on my forehead, communion celebrated.  In remembrance.  It holds special meaning for me.  It is part of our culture. 

In the midst of all this, the Olympics are on TV and we have been enjoying the events. I loved seeing Chloe Kim win her gold and observing the excitement her family felt.  Moving to the US in the 80's and sacrificing so much for their daughter so she could seek out her passion!  A Father's love for his child.  A Father's love for His children nailed Jesus to a tree.   Which brings us back to Lent, Ash Wednesday, and Valentine's Day.  Full circle. 

In The Midst Of The Chaos There Is Hope Rising In Jesus

Once again terrorists have attacked and the dead are counted and the numbers of injured are rising. Hearts are breaking, families are searching and grieving, and the atmosphere is electric with fear.

It is difficult to keep peace in front of us as images are played over and over across the TV screen. White sheets soaked in blood, parents holding tight to wailing children, medical personal bent over victims, authorities and police running to and fro.  To be in the midst of it must be numbing.

Yet in the midst of it all a sign appears.....the name of Jesus is firmly planted surrounded by flowers and candles and........hope.

And it is Holy Week.  Jesus rode into the city on a donkey and ended up hanging from a cross just a few days later.  He suffered and died for us all.  I have a bad taste in my mouth when I think He suffered and died for those who do the devil's dirty work of hatred and destruction.  It is hard for me to resolve the feelings I have for the cowards who hide behind the normal and kill the innocent.  They need Jesus, too. Still, the loving your enemies part is hard to digest in the aftermath.  Necessary, but difficult.

The world is weary and its people are broken.  Broken by lack, or by nature's wrath ,and by those who fight for their own agenda whether in the world of terrorism, the world of politics, or our own backyards.  Is there any good answer to the many questions that form every time we hear "breaking news"?

There is good to be found in Good Friday as it looms ahead, a solemn day for us as Christians.  A time to remember what Christ did for us.  Oh how He loved us.  He suffered greatly to fulfill God's plan for us, His children. Some choose to embrace Jesus as Savior, others do not.   With a grateful heart we followers say, Jesus we love you......oh how we love you.  This is where our focus needs to return as we try to digest a world around us that continues to show less than loving behavior.  The love that God calls us to.  Only with Jesus before us, beside us, behind us, and around us can we stand firm in hope when the world shakes so violently.  Jesus,we love You.....You are the One are hearts adore.

Remember.......

I am linking up with Bonnie Gray today over at Faith Barista for OneWordLent, and focusing on the word "remember" as we walk through Lent this week.  This prompt word resonated with me because just a couple of weeks ago, Holy Spirit had whispered a response to Joel's prayers about my journey in healing and what Holy said for me to do began with one word~~"Remember".  I was to remember and write down all that God has done for me in my 67 years of living.  I was instructed to write down all the healing that has taken place in my body and soul over the years, and do it on a daily basis.  So, I have been putting pen to paper, and looking back to remember.

When we remember what God has done for us, when it is right there before us in ink and written by our own hand, those memories become a testament of His love for us.  We cannot help but feel grateful.  Oh, Jesus, you are so good to us all!

In this season of Lent we remember how Jesus suffered and died for us.  Even if you were the only person on earth, He still would have suffered and died for you.  It was not something He looked forward to.  He asked His Father to take it from Him, while knowing in His heart it was going to happen. He endured the cross and carried all our sins and diseases as Isaiah 53 tells us.  If He was willing to suffer unspeakable pain and suffering,  how He must love us.

The other day while in the garden with Jesus, where I go to visualize spending time with Him, I reached out and held His hand.  It felt so rough, and as my thoughts went in that direction, remembering that He had been a carpenter after all, I looked down and saw the scars.  The scars that He carries for me.  For you.  From the cross.  Thank you Jesus.

Lent gives us the needed time to remember.....

And as my list of remembering grows longer, peace and trust grows deeper. My belief for His promise of an abundant life grows stronger, my gratefulness for those rough and scarred hands of my Savior fills me, and my praise overflows with love for my Savior.

In this season let us remember..........

Cross People

It is Ash Wednesday.  In the Lutheran tradition, Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent.  A time to reflect, remember, and repent during the 40 days before Easter.  A time to remember our life, and what God has done for us through His Son, our Savior, on the cross.  A time to remember we are dust and to dust we will return.  A time to release our burdens and trust our sins are forgiven.  I time to forgive. 

I find our Wednesday evening Lenten services a blessing, as long as I keep my eyes on what Jesus has done for us.  If lent becomes only about me, my sins, my burdens, my imperfections, then I have the wrong focus.  We visit those places, but we don't take up residence there.  We take up residence in the arms of Jesus knowing that in our brokenness, we are forgiven people of God.  We are, as Ann Voskamp writes, "people of the Cross". 

Ann wrote an amazing post about "people of the cross" that speaks so well of our response during this time of great evil in our world.  It must be shared, so I hope you will stop over to her blog and read, The Call For The Next 40 Days.  It is lengthy, but it is life changing.  It is one of the most powerful writings I have ever read.  I pray it touches you as much as it has Joel and myself on this Ash Wednesday.