Ash Wednesday

"For He himself knows whereof we are made; he remembers that we are but dust."
Psalm 103: 14


"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."
Psalm 51:11

Ash Wednesday is the start of Lent, which "is a time of spiritual journeying through intentional prayer, self-discipline, and reflection. At its most basic, Lent is a holy time to strip away the distractions and excuses that stand between us and our full connection to God " (http://www.holycomforter-clt.org). The Lenten season symbolizes the 40 days in which Jesus was fasting in the desert being tempted by the devil.


As we go about this Lenten season, let us try and decipher for ourselves what is standing between us and God.


A reading from the Book Of Common Prayer:
"Thereby, the whole congregation was put in the mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith."

A prayer of self-dedication:

"Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be utterly thine, utterly dedicated to thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou will, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen."

(Chapter Devotion)

*A special thanks to Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Charlotte, NC for having such an awesome website to grab information from!