Ash Wednesday

Too often in our Evangelical circles, we have ignored these important remembrances within the church calendar. We merely dismiss it as tradition or ritual. But there is a significant and important motivation for us to remember Ash Wednesday and Lent..Tod Bolsinger's thoughts on this subject are worth reading.

The focus of Ash Wednesday and Lent is repentance. Again, many of us are confused about repentance. Some of us think of it as 'penance', that is, atoning for our sins with acts of contrition. But that is not repentance. We can't atone for what we have done and need not try. Jesus' work on the cross is our atonement. Some of us think of repentance as sorrow and shame for what we have done, but that is also inaccurate. Indeed,the bible has a different Greek word for sorrow.

Repentance is literally to 'change your mind.' In the famous words of Dallas Willard, 'To reconsider your strategy for living based on the news of God's Kingdom that is available in Jesus.' And that is what Lent is for, to reconsider your strategy for living. To begin a new process of deep consideration and reflection about your life. To reconsider what it means to follow Jesus, to plumb the mystery of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. To reconsider what your strategy for living should be, based on this good news.

(HT: It Takes a Church)


Technorati Tags: Lent, Repentance

If you enjoy Provocative Church, please use the SUBSCRIBE button to receive more provocative and thoughtful content in the future.