Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. As a child, I remember the solemn mass of Ash Wednesday and being anointed with ashes in the sign of the cross on my forehead. As an adult, I attend a Protestant church, but I’ve always loved the traditional church calendar recognized by the Catholic Church. There is something special about marking the start of church seasons, don’t you think? 

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. It is called Ash Wednesday because of the practice of putting ashes on worshipers foreheads as a sign of humility before God and as a sign of mourning for the death and destruction that sin brings into the world.

What Is the Purpose of Lent?

The season of Lent spans 40 weekdays beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending with Holy Week: Holy Thursday, (Maundy Thursday),  Good Friday, and concluding the Saturday before Easter. Today, Lent is used as a time of prayer and preparation for Easter. We can look inward to see what needs to be confessed and changed in our lives. Some Christians fast and/or give up something for Lent as a sacrificial offering, while others focus on doing good deeds to help others. 

I love author Ruth Haley Barton’s take on Lent. She makes us think deeply by recommending we all ask ourselves this question, “Where in my life have I gotten away from God, and what are the disciplines that will enable me to find my way back?”

Ideas to Make Lent Special

As Ruth’s question suggests, marking the time of Lent in a thoughtful way will help you to prepare your heart for Easter. Perhaps you could even invite a family member or friend to join you in this journey. If you have young children, they may enjoy starting their own mini-ministry (see the last bullet point) or reading short prayers or scriptures with you. Here’s a list of suggestions, or feel free to try one of your own.

• Give up a favorite food as a sacrifice to God.
• Work on breaking a bad habit you have.
• Add a new beneficial habit that you’ve been meaning to start that will improve either your body, soul, or spirit.
• Practice Lectio Divina, also called sacred reading.
• Practice a spiritual discipline that sounds interesting: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, self-denial, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, or celebration.
• Read Lent selections from the Book of Common Prayer or other prayer books.
• Start a mini ministry of encouragement. Each day find some way to encourage others: a quick note, a piece of candy, a hug, and so on. (More on mini ministries coming soon).

Let’s all take some time to settle in with God during the season of Lent. We’d love to hear your ideas on making this a sacred season. Please share below in the comments.

Blessings,

Good Friday is a day of quiet reflection and meditation.

As Christians, on this day, we are often torn between sorrow and thankfulness. We are sorrowful because Jesus suffered and died on the cross, and thankful because Jesus took our place and suffered and died on the cross. As I was studying to write this devotional, I learned something new about Good Friday—Jesus wasn’t the only one who died on Good Friday, Judas died as well. As I considered these two deaths, I began to contrast them in my mind.

The life of Judas.

When I was younger I used to hate Judas because he betrayed our Lord for thirty pieces of silver. As Christians, we would never do that…or would we? Haven’t there been times when we have chosen other things over Christ? Time with Christ can be easily replaced with controversial TV programs, questionable movies, and provocative books. However, we don’t always replace time with Jesus with bad things; time with Him can be replaced with good things as well, such as exercise, music, knitting or reading.

Now that I’m older I feel fear and sorrow over the life of Judas.

Fear, because one could walk so physically close with Jesus and still not have a heart for Him; sorrow, because Judas’ life did not have to end the way he chose. Jesus went to the cross for Judas as well. Instead of turning to Christ to solve his guilt and sin problem, Judas turned to death. The legacy of Judas could have been one of grace and forgiveness. Have you placed anything above God in your life? How can you fix this error?

Prayer:

Dearest Holy Father,

Thank you that Jesus went to the cross for every one of my sins. Thank you that but may boldly come  and confess my sin to You. You are faithful and just to forgive me of my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

Thank you, Jesus, for going to the cross in my place. I accept your death on the cross as payment for my sin. Help me to love You and follow You all the days of my life.

In Jesus Holy Name, Amen.

(If you have not yet accepted Christ as your personal Savior, please take a moment and ask Him to come into your heart right now. There is no better time to become a Christian than Easter time!)

By Mary Kane

Copyright 2012. All rights reserved

1. Maundy Thursday, April 2 — Today we remember Jesus celebrating the Last Supper with his disciples. During this meal, Jesus set two important precedents that, as His followers, we still live out today.

First of all, as they were preparing to eat the meal, Jesus, the Teacher, took on the role of servant. He wrapped a towel around His waist and filled a basin with water; then he went around and lovingly washed each of his disciple’s feet. Peter, especially, was uncomfortable with this and protested, but Jesus explained the reason for his actions. He was setting an example for them:  As He had done for them, so they needed to do for others. On this special day, Holy Thursday, Jesus introduced the Christian virtue of service.

Secondly, Jesus shares the evening meal with his disciples. It, however, was not quite an ordinary supper. He foretold of His upcoming sacrifice on the cross by using the metaphor of the bread as his body and the wine as His blood. His disciples would not understand the significance of this until later after His death and resurrection. Today we celebrate communion at church in memory of the Last Supper.

Resources:

• Amazing Grace

Verse:  “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:14-15 NIV

Prayer: Dear Lord, You never ask us to do anything that You have not done Yourself. Thank You for setting the example of serving others. Help us to carry on that mission in our own lives. Give us opportunities daily to serve others, as well as regular acts of service. May we also realize the importance of meeting regularly with believers, encouraging and communing with each other. Amen.

2. Good Friday, April 3 — Today is the darkest day of the Christian calendar, for it was on this day that Jesus was crucified and buried. It is so very tempting to want to skip over this day and go straight to the celebration of Easter, but it would also be so very wrong. We need to reflect on the pain and sacrifice that Jesus endured when He took our sins upon Himself. We need to follow his path to the cross so that we can more fully appreciate the mercy, grace, and righteousness that God gives us for His sake. Please spend a few minutes on the following resources and/or participate in a Good Friday service at your church today.

Resources:

• Following Jesus to the Cross by Mary Kane
• Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?

Verse: “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30 NIV

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we offer You our deepest thanks for taking the punishment of our sins on the cross. We can never repay You for Your suffering; we accept this gift with a humble spirit. The greatest gift we can give back is to share the gospel with others. Help us to overcome any reticence in sharing about the eternal life that waits for them also. Amen.

3. Easter Sunday, April 5 — The most joyous event on the Christian calendar, Easter, is a day for celebrating The Resurrection. I never tire of imagining the look on the faces of the women who went to Jesus’ tomb, only to find the stone blocking the entrance rolled away and the tomb empty. It is this miracle that makes Christianity different from every other religion, because that same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us, His followers, (Ephesians 1:18-19) in our own ministries! God does not want us living in weakness, but in the resurrection power of Jesus. Imagine what we could do for Him if we truly believed this.

Resources:

• He Is Risen
• Youth Group Easter Drama

Verse: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” Luke 24:5-6 NIV

Prayer: Dear Jesus, Our hearts are filled with joy this morning. You have triumphed over evil and death. Because of this victory, we have the certainty of eternal life in heaven. And we also have many promises for our life on earth. May we spend our lives filled with Your Holy Spirit, equipped to live an abundant life. We praise You that You have broken the power of death. Amen.

4. Tax Day, April 15 — This many seem a silly thing to pray about, but when you consider the stress that finances put on families, states, and countries, we need to focus some prayer power on this issue. Tax Day is a day that people dread because of the many hassles involved in the preparation and filing of taxes. Money itself is a cause for concern in America with our ballooning national debt. Just watching the National Debt Clock rise is enough to make your blood pressure rise along with it. Along with national debt, many people are drowning in personal debt. With maxed-out credit cards, expensive cars, home mortgages, and college bills, too many of us are overextended and underfunded. Learning to budget and live within our means is a skill to be learned and practiced. As Dave Ramsey always says, “Act your wage!”

We also need to pray for those who are enduring financial stress because of circumstances beyond their control. Job loss, illness, and fraud are just a few of the reasons for an unexpected financial crisis. Let’s pray for all circumstances today.

Resources:

• Dave Ramsey
• Tax Questions Answered

Verse: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:24 NIV

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to give You first place in our hearts. It’s easy to want all the trappings the world has to give, but may we manage our money with wisdom and discernment. Help us not to make emotional, quick spending decisions. We pray for our government that the authorities would work on a balanced budget and stop spending more than we have. For those innocent victims suffering financial stress, we ask for wisdom and resources to help them recover from the loss. In Jesus name. Amen.

5. Iran Talks – Talks drag on in Switzerland, albeit without the foreign ministers of China, France, and Russia, who left earlier this week for home. “The negotiators’ intention is to produce a joint statement outlining general political commitments to resolving concerns about the Iranians’ nuclear program in exchange for relief of economic sanctions against Iran. In addition, they are trying to fashion other documents that would lay out in more detail the steps they must take by June 30 to meet those goals,” FoxNews.com said in an article published on April 2 on their website. Let’s pray for wisdom for our leaders that they make the right decision regarding these negotiations.

Resources:

• Iran Talks News Story

Verse: “Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of the age?Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” 1 Corinthians 1:20 NIV

Prayer: Lord, we need Your wisdom and discernment to make the right decision. We pray that what is hidden will be brought to light and that our leaders will make a decision based on truth and facts; we pray for Your protection. Amen.

Thank you for praying with us today. Feel free to use this as a reminder throughout the month, and please add any of your prayer suggestions in the comment section below.

Pray on!

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 (NIV)

For our fifth devotion this Holy Week, we are looking at the following stanza of the poem True Lenten Discipline:

FAST from words that pollute. FEAST on phrases that purify.

(Here is the full poem of True Lenten Discipline. Here are the devotions for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.)

The old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” simply isn’t true. Anyone who has ever been wounded by unkind words knows that hurtful wordssink deeply into our souls, setting up residence and becoming difficult to uproot. They echo through our lives for years to come, affecting what we believe about ourselves and our choices—whether they’re true or not.

The Greek word for unwholesome is sapros, and it means “bad, rotten, decayed.” And if we need any further proof of the harm mean words can cause, we’ll find it in the meaning of the root word of sapros, which is sepo. It means “to destroy.”

(Now this is not to say that we can’t ever respectfully discuss difficult situations and character issues that need to be changed with someone. That’s a sometimes necessary part of living life with family and friends and is entirely different than mean words that tear others up.)

Well, it would be logical that if unwholesome talk can destroy, then the opposite of this should be true; wholesome words can build others up, and that’s precisely what this verse in Ephesians tells us.

It’s one of the conundrums of life that it’s such an easy thing for ugly words to effortlessly roll off of our tongues; it seems to be much harder work to cultivate the soil of a person’s life with seeds of praise and encouragement. Perhaps we’re embarrassed or afraid we’ll be perceived as just trying to gain their favor.

To be sure, kind words need to be sincere. Insincerity rings falsely with, well, insincerity. Maybe part of the problem is that building another person up with words that benefit requires us to be observant. We have to take our focus off of ourselves long enough to study a person and recognize his or her strengths. Once we see the laudable characteristic, we must then give life to the thought and speak the words to that person. It can actually feel a little uncomfortable at first, and it’s tempting to take the easy way out and think “I’ll tell her the next time I see her.” But then you’ve missed a chance to build someone up. The “next time” may not lend itself so well to what you want to say.

Although I still may be able to hear the faint echoes of harsh words in my head, the shout of a “word aptly spoken” by people who have built into my life drowns out the other words. I’ve been encouraged by several someones to reach for goals I thought were beyond my grasp, to dream dreams, and to make a difference by relying on the power of God working in my life. That’s what we need to be doing for others.

Application: On this Good Friday, we will focus on encouraging and building others up with our words. Be on the alert for someone that you can sincerely speak words of kindness to today. And let’s not make this just a one-day event, but rather a lifelong habit.

Prayer: Jesus, may we follow your example of speaking words of life and blessing to others. Stop our tongues when harsh words want to leap out of our mouths. Amen.

“For He was wounded for our transgression, bruised for our iniquities and by His stripes we’re healed.” Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice. Join us for our Good Friday Devotion, Following Jesus to the Cross by clicking on the link.

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Depending upon which denomination you grew up in, Lent may or may not have been an important time in your spiritual life. The season of Lent originated in the 4th century A.D., and it spans 40 weekdays beginning on Ash Wednesday. The final week of Lent is called Holy Week and includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and concludes on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Colors in the church are coordinated with the church calendar. During Lent, the colors you typically see in a sanctuary are purple, red violet or dark violet. These particular colors are chosen because they symbolize both the pain and suffering leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, as well as the suffering of sinful humanity. But, purple is also a royal color, and that very much represents our king Jesus. Black is often used on Good Friday and Holy Saturday to symbolize the darkness that sin brought to the world. Those of the Catholic faith are familiar with Lent because it’s still very much a part of the church today. Not so much for those in the Protestant faith.

Before Martin Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at the University of Wittenburg (Germany) in 1517, there was only one Christian church and everyone observed holy days, church feasts and the daily office in the same way. With the start of the Reformation, much of these observances were thrown out–because they were associated with “high church.” High church uses liturgical, ceremonial, traditional and Catholic elements in worship.

Today, however, some Protestant churches are finding that maybe they have thrown out “the baby with the bath water,” and are recovering some of these aspects of historical Christian tradition as a way to enrich their spiritual lives–especially in a culture that is becoming increasingly secular.

With that in mind, some Protestant Christians are putting a greater emphasis on Lent by praying and preparing themselves for Easter. Today, we can use this time for introspection, self-examination and repentance. At Only By Prayer, we are going to begin a series on the spiritual disciplines to help equip you to prepare for Easter. If you feel led to do so, you can incorporate some of these practices into your days throughout this season of Lent. We are looking forward to this journey and pray God will bless your through it.

We’ll start tomorrow with the first spiritual discipline. Join us, won’t you?

Pray on!

Some of this information is taken from “The Season of Lent” by Dennis Bratcher.