Connected in The Word 2-18-26 (Ash Wednesday)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Today Christians around the world will be marked with ashes. People will receive ashes here at Immanuel at various worship services throughout the day including our Noon and 7:00pm services. There’s no rule that says you need to get the ashes – They are just a tradition. However, sometimes tradition in the church is a good thing because it points us to Jesus. If a tradition in the church doesn’t point us to Jesus, we should probably ask ourselves if it is a worthwhile tradition. I think the ashes are a great tradition because you can use them to teach people about the redeeming work of Jesus.
The ashes remind us of our sin. The ashes are made in the shape of a cross to remind us of our Lord’s suffering and death on the cross as payment for our sin. But the teaching of the ashes does not end there. The ashes, sometimes used as a cleansing agent in the ancient world, are applied to us and made in the shape of a cross to remind us of our Baptism. Lent is a season of repentance when we confess our sin and remember the suffering and death of Jesus. But during these days of Lent, may we never forget that the Resurrection of Jesus destroys sin, death, and the devil. Even during Lent, we live as Resurrection people (we don’t count Sundays in the 40 days of Lent because they are meant to be little Easter Sundays every single week).
So, during this Lenten Season it is good to remember your sin, and it is good to meditate on our Lord’s suffering and death, but it is also good to remember that your sins are forgiven and that you have been made alive in the Resurrected Jesus. You now get to do “everything in the name of the Lord Jesus”! Join us every weekend during this season of Lent as we dig into our “Whatever You Do” sermon series built upon Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
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