1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent.
Lent is forty days of fasting, prayer, confession, repentance and reconciliation before Easter.
Ash Wednesday is prelude to the cross
When we consider the sacrifice of Christ and resolve to live sacrificially
When we ponder the service of Christ and commit to serve Him and others
The sign of the cross on your forehead
Reminds you and shows others that you are a person of the cross
The submission of the cross, the passion of the cross, the compassion of the cross, the mercy of the cross
Like baptism, the sign of the cross is an outer evidence of an inner transaction
Take Up Your Cross
On Ash Wednesday, these words of Jesus grip us
On Ash Wednesday, we illustrate what we are to do daily
Live according to the heart and mind of Christ
Surrender everything that keeps us from it
And receive everything that empowers us for it
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