“You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit,
fruit that won’t spoil."
John 15:16 The Message
As an Anglican I am blessed with a rich heritage of traditions that help me understand God's goodness and mercy. They are lovely when you understand them. Case in point; Ash Wednesday.
Why wear ashes on our heads?
It's not to draw attention. The ashes are symbolic of garbage. We parade around wearing garbage on our heads to remind us of how far we fall short from the glory of God. Isaiah 58:5-6 clearly tells us that that the fast God requires is to proclaim the year of God's favor and to release the captives. This is giving up of our hold on life in response to understanding that God did the same in the person of Jesus Christ on our behalf. We do this not as a requirement, but as reminder.
We accompany this act of humility with acts of penitence (understanding we have wronged God and saying we are sorry),
of self-denial (giving up of comforts to remind us of what Jesus had given up for us),
and thanksgiving (offering acts of devotion in response to understanding what God has done for us.
What should I give up?
When you were a kid, giving up chocolate may have been a hard thing, but you are an adult now. Pray and ask God what it is you might offer to him. If it really has kept you from being closer to him, lay it down and don't take it back up after Lent! This is a time of examination and reflection. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Here are a few suggestions:
1. Give up your best parking space and park far away. As you walk remind yourself that Jesus gave up his place in heaven to walk on earth for you. (Philippians 2)
2. Give up speeding. Set your cruise control at the speed limit and follow it. Thank God that he did not pass you by as others pass you.(Luke 18:1-8)
3. Give up five minutes of sleep. Wake up early and pray for the people you don't like. Don't ask God to change them, ask God to change you. (Mark 1:35, Romans 12:14, Matthew 5:43-48)
4. Give up your time to serve someone else. Volunteer an hour a week somewhere. (Mark 10:45)
Take up....
If we give things up that are not helping us become more Christ-like we should replace them with things that do. Start small in manageable chunks.
1. Read your bible five minutes a day. Start with the daily office for a good overview.http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/bcp/
2. Pray. Pray for your family, your neighbors, your workers by name. Ask God to bless them and provide for their needs.
The end goal of all of this is to be more like Jesus, not because it will buy us favor with God but because we want to be more like the One who gave up everything for us. It is a process. Enjoy it.
The end goal for us, in God's design, is nothing short of majesty from garbage, dust to glory...watch and see.
Posts
