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March

Ash Wednesday this year will be March 9th. We'll have our Ash Wednesday service at 7:00pm here at Great Swamp and a soup and bread supper will precede the worship time. I'll be glad to see you then.

Coincidently, Ash Wednesday in the Republic of Ireland is also "No Smoking Day." From the wonderful folks who brought us St. Patrick (actually he was born in Scotland), we have the notion of stopping something that is not only considered a luxury but is bad for you anyway. I think that's entirely appropriate especially when you consider what Ash Wednesday is all about. It's about repentance.

The word literally means "to turn around." In Bible times, one of the ways in which someone showed that they wanted to turn their lives around was to put ashes and dust on their heads. It was an outward sign of the fact that they were sorry for their sins and wanted to separate themselves from doing evil. I came across a whole list of passages that speak about this custom.

We often talk about "giving something up for Lent." The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday. Sometimes people give something up for Lent because they think that God will be impressed with their temporary sacrifice. God isn't impressed. What does impress God is when we human beings recognize the need to let go of the things that separate ourselves from the Lord, the things that damage our bodies and erode our souls, the things that deny God's reign in our lives and cause us to reject God's purpose in how we relate to others.

When you are thinking about ""giving something up for Lent," focus on those things that stand in the way of growing in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Do you like to hold a grudge? Do you enjoy a sense of self pity or a strong sense of entitlement? Are you judgmental? What about some prejudice you might have? Use this season of forty days to turn things around. When you receive the ashes, Pastor Paul and I will anoint you by making the mark of the cross on your forehead. Those ashes serve not only to remind us of Christ's sacrifice, they serve to remind us that as we struggle to let go of those things which stand in the way of our redemption Christ is with us and Christ will help us to take the next good steps in turn our lives around.

Yours in Christ,