Thought of the Week: On Ash Wednesday, trust in God’s forgiveness

If you look on certain calendars, there are several events listed. Feb. 10 is the Lunar New Year, ushering in the “Year of the Dragon.” I hear that on Feb. 11 there is going to be a big football game on TV. (I am not sure of copyright laws regarding the actual naming of this game in print.) Feb. 13 is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day. But this year not all couples will go out for a romantic meal on Valentine’s Day, because in 2024, Feb. 14 is also Ash Wednesday, which for the western church is the first day of the Lenten season.

Ash Wednesday asks Christians to think of their mortality. In light of looking at our own deaths, Ash Wednesday also asks us to consider what our relationship with God is like and take an inventory of our sins, both the sins of commission and the sins of omission. It is a day that reminds us that we are to be reconciled to God. So, Ash Wednesday is a day of death, sin, confession and reconciliation.

But Ash Wednesday is more than a day of lament. It is also a day when we trust in God’s forgiveness. It is a day when we set our hearts upon God once again. And it is a day that gives Christians the opportunity to publicly witness to their faith in Jesus Christ.

On Ash Wednesday, we receive the mark of ashes upon our foreheads, so that whoever looks at us for the remainder of the day knows without a doubt that we are followers of Jesus the Savior.

I would like to invite you to join us at Hunter Memorial First Presbyterian Church on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. as we gather to remember that we belong to God and receive the mark of ashes.

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils; they breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

The Rev. Karen Dumey is the pastor of Hunter Memorial First Presbyterian Church in Sikeston.