One common expression we hear from children these days is, "Do-over!" A kid spills his milk, he says: "Do-over!" A child is playing a game, but the outcome doesn't turn out the way she had hoped, she yells: "Do-over!" The do-over has become common-place; it is an expression that means I want another chance at this.
I consider the do-over on this Ash Wednesday, as the beginning of Lent--with its reminder of brokenness, failure and mortality--hearkens back to a basic human need: the need to be forgiven and set right with God. This is true for the Christian as well as for those who give no thought to God at all.
As we consider our lives--what we have done and what we have left undone--we know that we have a need to be reformed, reshaped, restored. This comes, in part, from repentance--turning around, turning back to God.
One of the largest themes we find throughout Lent is the grace of God which makes all things possible. John Wesley, our spiritual ancestor, understood that God's grace makes even our turning possible--we cannot even make a move toward God unless God's grace come before us. It is grace that stirs our hearts and grace that leads us home.
In some respects, we can think of Ash Wednesday as a New Year. We get to start fresh--to make life a do-over. We don't have to travel the same roads we are on. We don't have to walk down roads that lead to despair, or violence, or greed, or lust, or self-aggrandizement . . . we can make a choice to follow Christ down paths of hope, peace, generosity, faithfulness, and community.
The differences can be startling. And sometimes change begins with a willingness to do-over!
I consider the do-over on this Ash Wednesday, as the beginning of Lent--with its reminder of brokenness, failure and mortality--hearkens back to a basic human need: the need to be forgiven and set right with God. This is true for the Christian as well as for those who give no thought to God at all.
As we consider our lives--what we have done and what we have left undone--we know that we have a need to be reformed, reshaped, restored. This comes, in part, from repentance--turning around, turning back to God.
One of the largest themes we find throughout Lent is the grace of God which makes all things possible. John Wesley, our spiritual ancestor, understood that God's grace makes even our turning possible--we cannot even make a move toward God unless God's grace come before us. It is grace that stirs our hearts and grace that leads us home.
In some respects, we can think of Ash Wednesday as a New Year. We get to start fresh--to make life a do-over. We don't have to travel the same roads we are on. We don't have to walk down roads that lead to despair, or violence, or greed, or lust, or self-aggrandizement . . . we can make a choice to follow Christ down paths of hope, peace, generosity, faithfulness, and community.
The differences can be startling. And sometimes change begins with a willingness to do-over!
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