Lent Day 1, Ash Wednesday

Today marks the beginning of the lenten season.  Though you might not be able to tell from the snow on the ground and the wind-chill outside, Spring is just around the corner!  Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning, “lengthen,” and refers to the lengthening of days during this season.  Spring is about the beginning of new life, and that is what Lent prepares us for:  experiencing the “new life” offered in Jesus through the cross and empty tomb.

Soon enough, we’ll be celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but today we begin the journey of Lent … a journey of preparation.

[This is the first in an ongoing series, you can find out more about the purpose of these posts here, and learn how to get the most out of the series here.]

Day 1

Theme:  Simplicity

Reading:  Matthew 6:19-34

Meditation:  In what ways have the things you own ended up owning you?  In what areas of your life could you simplify if you only had the will to do so? What are we really saying to God when we place such an importance on things?  When we worry?

Prayer:  In your own words, pray that your worry would melt into trust; that your desire for things would be redirected into a desire for God and His kingdom.