"But First, Ashes" | A Prayer for Ash Wednesday
/"But First, Ashes"
A Prayer for Ash Wednesday
God, our Hope and our Protection,
the journey ahead is long,
our sights are set upon Jerusalem,
our feet are set to follow Christ.
We have seen him transfigured
and now we must follow him with trust, humility, and penitence.
The only thing between us and the journey are some ashes -
ashes that remind us of our mortality,
that we are human and you are God,
that we are dust and to dust we shall return,
that we desperately depend upon your steadfast love.
As the snow falls upon the frozen ground,
the warmth of that Easter morn seems so distant -
as a faint memory slipping through the crevices of our minds.
Redemption will come.
Renewal will come.
Resurrection will come.
But first, ashes.
Ashes to be smeared.
A walk down the aisle.
A finger brushing hair off the forehead.
An ash-smeared finger upon the mortal skin.
A promise both scary and hopeful -
that we will return to dust -
but not even dust nor death will keep us from God's embrace.
Click here liturgy for the Season of Lent by Stephen M. Fearing
Click here for original hymns for the Season of Lent by Stephen M. Fearing