Welcome to Journey through Lent! This resource is for individuals and groups to use during this season of renewal. Here I will be posting a brief meditation for each of the six weeks during Lent.
(All text and images Copyright ©2023 by Rev. Barbara Bjelland. All rights reserved. No part of this post may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Barbara Bjelland (author, illustrator, designer). The full version for each week will be available in my website store at: www.BarbaraBjelland.com.)
“Lent” comes from the Old English for “springtime.” Lent is like spring cleaning, or clearing out a garden, to make room for new growth. In the springtime of the northern hemisphere, we wait for the days to become longer and the daylight to become stronger. We wait for the gray days to be over, for the sound of birdsong, and for the fragrance of flowers wafting through the air. We long to see and touch new life, as an expectant mother cradles her womb.
Creation, Fall and Promise of a Savior
The roots of Lent go back to a time long, long ago. The story of Creation and Fall from Genesis tells us that God made the heavens and the earth, day and night, and all of Creation. God formed the first humans from the dust of the earth and breathed life into them. God saw that all he had made was very good (Genesis 1:31).
But the first people listened to the voice of the evil one and seized what was not theirs. They ate the one thing that they were not supposed to partake of. The beauty shimmering forth from the earth and its creatures became clouded, and death and division crept into the world.
It is here that the LORD God spoke the words, passed down to us and echoed by the Minister on Ash Wednesday:
“You are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
Returning to God
Lent is the story of God coming to find us, that we may return to him. Lent is the story of the heights and depths of God’s love revealed in Christ, to redeem humanity and all of Creation. God longs to make us one with God and one another.
The Prophet Joel writes:
“Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love”
(Joel 2:12, 13).
Listening to God’s Voice
As we repent and listen to God, new seeds are planted deep within our hearts. The ashes drawn on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, remind us of our mortality, and that we are dust (Genesis 3:19). The cross tells us that death is not the end. In Christ, God has made a way through death to new life. This new life begins now when we say “yes” to God’s love, and lasts into eternity.
Liturgy/Prayer Practice for Ash Wednesday
Blessing of the Ashes: Prayer by Recipient
Living Lord of All, Heavenly Father.
You have created me in your image from the dust of the earth,
and you know me full well.
You have claimed me as your own
through the waters of baptism and new birth in Christ,
yet I have sinned and need to be washed clean again.
Forgive me for my lack of trust in you.
Forgive me for the times I have strayed from the paths you have set out for me.
Forgive me for the times I have not loved you with my whole heart,
and not loved my neighbor as myself.
Renew in me the knowledge of your forgiveness, goodness, and love.
Renew in me the living hope you have given me through Jesus Christ.
Lamb of God, may I join in your redeeming work this day.
May I show forth your glory in the world.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Blessing of the Ashes: Minister’s Words
If you are not in a congregational setting to receive the ashes, you may make the sign of the cross with ashes (or another writing instrument) on a piece of paper.
Traditional words:
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.
Additional words of invitation:
Return to Christ, and be redeemed in body, mind and spirit.
Rejoice that you are marked with the cross,
as a beloved child of God.
Amen.