Ash Wednesday - February 22, 2023
February the 22nd.
Happy Ash Wednesday! We begin a new part of the church year. It has two special segments: the 40 days of Lent and the 50 days of Easter. We might look at it as a return to hope. We begin as if we were standing high a top a volcano. A volcano is in reality, nothing more than a pile of ashes ejected from deep within the earth.
At first, they look gray and barren, much as our lives sometimes do. Gradually, the land brings forth verger and becomes a lush landscape. Our return to hope begins with this image. May these weeks of reflection and prayer bring forth in each of us growth. May the waters of God's grace give new life and energy to the church, which lives in us.
