It is crazy to think that today is already Ash Wednesday. It seems like Christmas just ended and now it’s the middle of February and the beginning of Lent.
One of my favorite songs ever is “Ashes” which is typically only sung on Ash Wednesday. So, on this Ash Wednesday, I offer you a brief meditation on the four verses. Sadly, one of the best videos I found does not have all of the verses. 🙁 Therefore, the following verses are from memory.
We rise again from ashes, from the good we’ve failed to do.
We rise again from ashes, to create ourselves anew.
If all the world is ashes, then must our lives be true.
An offering of ashes, an offering to You.
This verse reminds me that we are not perfect. There are things each of us has failed to do, things that God wanted us to do. This is okay. God gives us the chance to try again, to rise again, to continue.
We offer You our failures, we offer You attempts.
The gifts not fully given, the dreams not fully dreamt.
Give our stumblings direction, give our visions wider view.
An offering of ashes, an offering to You.
Without God we struggle. Even with God we struggle. We fail at time. We attempt things and they don’t turn out. We offer things, but not fully. We dream, but not to reality. We need God.
Then rise again from ashes, let healing come to pain.
Though spring has turned to winter, and sunshine turned to rain.
The rain we’ll use for growing, to create the world anew.
From an offering of ashes, an offering to You.
There is always a chance for us to get back up, to try again. We are never fully down until we refuse to rise up and try one more time. Everything can be used for the greater glory of God. Everything.
Thanks be to the Father, who made us like Himself.
Thanks be to the Son, who saved us by His death.
Thanks be to the Spirit, who creates the world anew.
From an offering of ashes, an offering to you.
We thank God in the Trinity for all that He has done for us. He has give us life. He has saved us from our sins. He has created us as new beings. We are His, all His.
I pray that you all have a blessed Lent.
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