Ash Wednesday

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the LORD, your God.

As we enter the season of Lent, we are called to return to God with our whole hearts. We are asked to fast from worldly things. We are encouraged to rend our hearts from the people and possessions that keep us from returning to God. Often, we make excuses to delay doing what we know is right. We choose feasting, pleasures, and sin over fasting, compassion, and sacrifice. We would rather be comfortably sinful, then to be sacrificially virtuous. Thankfully, God is gracious and merciful, giving us everything we need to not only resist temptation, but also recover from our sins. He does not want to punish us. He wants to bless us. And if we make our lives into living libations for the Lord, then we shall find our Heavenly Father welcoming us into His arms when we enter into Paradise.

Have we chosen a life of feasting or fasting? Are we willing to rend our hearts from the world? How can we make ourselves into living sacrifices?

O Lord, we want to return to you with our whole hearts.

Amen.