As we enter the solemn season of Lent, we reflect on our human frailty and the mercy of God. Through prayer, confession, and the imposition of ashes, we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19). Yet, this season is not one of despair, but of repentance and renewal, as we turn back to the One who offers us forgiveness and life.
The liturgy invites us to lay bare our sins—our indifference, our participation in injustice, and the violence in our hearts and world. But in God’s great mercy, as Psalm 103 proclaims, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Through Christ, our sin is not the final word; love and grace abound.
In worship, we declare the power of our Redeemer—Jesus Messiah, the Ransom from Heaven—who took on our sin so that we might be clothed in His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). As we journey through Lent, we are called to embrace humility, confession, and dependence on God, preparing our hearts for the victory of Easter. Let us trust in the One who leads us from ashes to redemption, from death to life.