Day 141: “Our offenses Are Ever With Us. We Do Acknowledge Our Iniquities”
Read: Isaiah 59
What is “Ash Wednesday”? Where did this idea come from? In the Bible,
ashes were always associated with humility and mortality, fasting and
remorse. If anyone had sinned against God (and who of us has not), and
they felt remorse about that sin, and they were repenting of that sin, then sometimes, in the Bible, you'd sprinkle some ashes on your head as a sign of sorrow and repentance. Ashes were
supposed to remind you that you were only mortal, that you will
eventually become ashes after you die. We are only ashes, we need to
repent of our sins while God still gives us a time of grace, a chance, an opportunity for reconciliation. Adonai’s
arm is never too short to save, nor is his ear too dull to hear.
Very early Christian churches had thought long about this idea. People,
in private, at times, would sprinkle ashes on themselves as a sign of
repentance. Eventually, this became a public practice. Later, instead of
sprinkling the ashes on your head, the ashes would be rubbed onto the
forehead in the shape of a cross. It was a sign of our repentance,
and a reminder of your baptism, when the sign of the cross was placed on
you with water and the Word. However, ashes or no ashes, what’s really
far more
important, though, is not whether you have ashes on your
forehead. What’s far more important is what’s going on in deep within
the deepest recesses your heart, what’s going on deep within your soul.
Today, let us take a
miniature Lenten journey as we look at Isaiah 59. Right away in verse
12, we read, “Our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify
against us” – that’s true, isn’t it? If you were to count all the sins
you have committed in just one week – and remember, sins include not
just your deeds, but your thoughts. Sins include not just the things you
do, but also the things you don’t do, but should. If you were to count
all these sins, your offenses would be many. Thousands, even millions of
sins, testifying against you in God’s court of law. Do you really want
to hear the full measure of our offenses from God? Okay, steady your
heart and gird your soul against this onslaught - read vs 2 - 11!
What don't we have to repent from? Reality is: “Our offenses are ever with us. We do acknowledge our iniquities” – there you see a key phrase as we think
about Lent this day. Lent is a time when look you at yourself, and
acknowledge that there are some things that need to be fixed up. There
are some things about me and you that are not perfect, things that
need to be both subtly or radically changed, things that need to be
adjusted to restore our right relationship with Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Right off
the top I can place my attitudes about sharing
what the Adonai Elohim, God Almighty has done for me, thru my reaching
out, could be doing, nay very much should be doing for the most faith challenged.
Let Us Pray: ABBA, Father it seems that we have spent too much time making a mess of things. Lord Jesus Christ, by Your grace and infinite mercy, please
forgive those things we have done which have caused you sadness, and
those things we should have done that would and should have brought you
joy. In both we have utterly failed ourselves, our neighbors and above
all You. Holy Spirit be our guide. Bring us back to that One true place
where our journey began, when we said that we would follow the
way that you first trod. Lead us to the Cross, meet us there, sit next to us, talk with us for a while.
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Read: Isaiah 59
What is “Ash Wednesday”? Where did this idea come from? In the Bible, ashes were always associated with humility and mortality, fasting and remorse. If anyone had sinned against God (and who of us has not), and they felt remorse about that sin, and they were repenting of that sin, then sometimes, in the Bible, you'd sprinkle some ashes on your head as a sign of sorrow and repentance. Ashes were supposed to remind you that you were only mortal, that you will eventually become ashes after you die. We are only ashes, we need to repent of our sins while God still gives us a time of grace, a chance, an opportunity for reconciliation. Adonai’s arm is never too short to save, nor is his ear too dull to hear.
Very early Christian churches had thought long about this idea. People, in private, at times, would sprinkle ashes on themselves as a sign of repentance. Eventually, this became a public practice. Later, instead of sprinkling the ashes on your head, the ashes would be rubbed onto the forehead in the shape of a cross. It was a sign of our repentance, and a reminder of your baptism, when the sign of the cross was placed on you with water and the Word. However, ashes or no ashes, what’s really far more
important, though, is not whether you have ashes on your forehead. What’s far more important is what’s going on in deep within the deepest recesses your heart, what’s going on deep within your soul.
Today, let us take a miniature Lenten journey as we look at Isaiah 59. Right away in verse 12, we read, “Our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us” – that’s true, isn’t it? If you were to count all the sins you have committed in just one week – and remember, sins include not just your deeds, but your thoughts. Sins include not just the things you do, but also the things you don’t do, but should. If you were to count all these sins, your offenses would be many. Thousands, even millions of sins, testifying against you in God’s court of law. Do you really want to hear the full measure of our offenses from God? Okay, steady your heart and gird your soul against this onslaught - read vs 2 - 11!
What don't we have to repent from? Reality is: “Our offenses are ever with us. We do acknowledge our iniquities” – there you see a key phrase as we think about Lent this day. Lent is a time when look you at yourself, and acknowledge that there are some things that need to be fixed up. There are some things about me and you that are not perfect, things that need to be both subtly or radically changed, things that need to be adjusted to restore our right relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Right off
the top I can place my attitudes about sharing what the Adonai Elohim, God Almighty has done for me, thru my reaching out, could be doing, nay very much should be doing for the most faith challenged.
Let Us Pray: ABBA, Father it seems that we have spent too much time making a mess of things. Lord Jesus Christ, by Your grace and infinite mercy, please forgive those things we have done which have caused you sadness, and those things we should have done that would and should have brought you joy. In both we have utterly failed ourselves, our neighbors and above all You. Holy Spirit be our guide. Bring us back to that One true place where our journey began, when we said that we would follow the
way that you first trod. Lead us to the Cross, meet us there, sit next to us, talk with us for a while.
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Sidewalk Prophets -- "You Love Me Anyway" with Lyrics
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© 2012 WMG The lyric video for Sidewalk Prophets' single "You Love Me Anyway". Visit
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