Joel 2:12-13  “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and
mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your
God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity. 

“Dust thou art” goes some of the
ritual associated with Ash Wednesday, “and to dust thou shalt return .”… Ecc
3:20  All go to the same place; all come
from dust, and to dust all return.

This may not be an uplifting thought, but then we
remind ourselves that Ash Wednesday is where the journey begins…again. It is
the first day of a pilgrimage that began a long time ago. A journey that
believers have taken for centuries. Together, committed followers of Jesus are
invited to walk with him to Jerusalem and the cross.

Ash Wednesday is a wake-up call that life is transient. The
scriptures and even a casual look at life should remind us of our humanity, our
mortality. The seriousness of this journey is good and necessary. There is no
bypassing the cross for those who go this way. This is not a time of
happy-go-lucky exuberance, but of serious introspection. Thankfully we do not
have to take this journey alone. We will be taking this walk together as a
family. And even though at times we will feel all alone we will be in the best
of company possible, Jesus walks with us.

Ash Wednesday is a challenge to put our lives in perspective. “Dust
thou art” may not be very flattering, but it’s something we need to hear and be
reminded of. We really are pretty small items in a very large universe. And we
go around talking as if we really understand who God is and what God really
wants from us, and that our belly button is the center of the universe and God
exists for us…and then this… we are brought up short by the fact that we are
infinitesimally small. Yet we try to grasp the paradox that God knows and cares
for each one of us.

Ash Wednesday becomes a focus on absolute basics. Our
self-indulgent culture would have us believe we cannot live without the things
it values. We even think worship is a means to our improvement and well-being.
We want what we want and heaven too. Jesus calls us to let Him decide what we
need and where we go. So Lent is a time to strip away some of the non-essential
stuff that clutters our lives and walk with Jesus in the most basic and humble
way.

Jesus calls us to simplicity, to listen. Don’t be too quick to
set goals or make arbitrary decisions about giving things up for Lent. Instead,
maybe we need to start by giving up explaining what we think we need. More
often than not, prayer should be more listening, less talking. Silence is
golden, precious and hard to come by.

Jesus calls us to self-denial. Self-denial ultimately is just
that: denying one-self in favor of someone (or Someone) else’s decision. It is
giving up my way and agreeing to God’s way. Often we think of self-denial as
giving up chocolate or Facebook or some time-consuming pastime so we can be
reminded of our purpose and spend more quiet time in prayer and meditation.
Probably that is a good start. Whatever the level of self-denial, all of them
seek to bring us into harmony with God’s purpose. God-inspired self-denial will
create confidence in praying.

Where is Ash Wednesday in the Bible? It isn’t. But there
are plenty of precedents for calling God’s people together for repentance, for
fresh anointing, and for renewal. The trumpet sound of the prophet Joel,
calling for God’s people to tremble at the approaching judgments of God (Joel
2:1-2,12-17) resonates with the call of Jesus to times of mourning and calling
on God with self-denial and even fasting. Notice Jesus does not say “If you
fast” but “When you fast…” as if he expects us to keep in step with his own
example (Matt. 6: 1-6, 16-21).

Why ashes? Ashes in the Bible are a sign of mourning or
humility before the holiness of God (Dan. 9:3; Job 42:6; Matt 11:21).

The Ash Wednesday Service in many denominations is
an annual event. People are invited to come forward and the pastor marks a small
black cross with ashes on each person’s forehead.

Do we need to follow a certain ritual? No. It’s not about the
ritual; it’s about the relationship. This is a sacred time when we join with
believers around the world in reverence and humility. It’s a call for
introspection and self-examination. It’s an opportunity to deepen our awareness
of God’s forgiveness and his purifying presence in the church. Ash Wednesday
reminds us to humble ourselves before God as we prepare to follow in the steps
of Jesus all the way to Calvary.

Thankfully the journey doesn’t end there. Jesus
promised we can keep walking with him to the Resurrection and all the way to
Pentecost and beyond. But during this time of lent we will be doing a lot of
listening, reading, and praying.

“Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return!” so says the graveside ritual. That may not be an uplifting thought, but then again we must remember that God did some marvelous things with dust…when the dust yielded to the touch of the Creator.

But first you may need a primer on showing an animal at the Fair. There are generally two different showings: the first is the Market or Breeder Class, where the purpose is to show off the animals best features and convince the judge that yours is the best example of its particular breed. The attention is on the animal and how it is “put together.” The second showing is the Showmanship Class, where the emphasis is on how much the person handling the animal knows about the animal. The focus of the first is the animal; the focus of the second is the handler.

So Luke takes his cavy to the show table with it looking its best.  But the judge sees a problem. The cavy has a
broken tooth; a flaw, a defect, a blemish on its otherwise perfect form. The animal is disqualified and prohibited from winning any ribbons as a potential breeder. Those of us who were cheering on Luke sensed the wind drop from his sails as he took the faulty animal back to its cage.

But soon it was time for Showmanship. Forgetting the past, Luke marched up to the show table again with the same animal. This time the spotlight is on Luke as he goes over his animal for the judge. The competition is tight with 3 other kids showing off their skills and knowledge for the chance to win that wonderful purple ribbon that says “Grand Champion!”  And guess what…Luke is the winner! Even with his disqualified cavy he became the Showmanship Champion! And what a parallel to our lives with God.

Aren’t we all blemished in one form or another? Hasn’t our sin disqualified us from winning anything? Our human condition is full of flaws and defects that the Judge has to reject. We are so messed up we can’t even earn an “honorable mention.”  Then the Showman steps up, takes us in His skillful hands, flips us over, turns us around, stretches us out, delicately cradles us, properly posses us, and makes us shine. And the Purple Ribbon of Life is awarded! But notice the animal doesn’t receive the ribbon; all the glory belongs to the Showman. The Judge rewards His effort and His work.

Thank you, Luke for this powerful reminder that whatever we do, it should be for the glory of God, and not for ourselves (see 1 Corinthians 10:31). And Congratulations!

I took a turn at the wheel, steering the boat toward our destination.  It’s not as easy as it looks.  It requires constant attention to the compass and landmarks and continuous adjustments, however slight, to the tiller (rudder) in order to stay on course.

After we were home I took the WestSide 2:52 boys out on the Klamath River in our 14’ and 16’ aluminum boats, the Albert Ray and the Lena B.  I rigged up a tiller on the Albert Ray and that tiller became our object lesson for the day.

In a row boat you face one direction and row in another.  The rower’s back is toward the direction the boat is traveling.  This requires the rower to frequently turn around to make sure the boat is headed where he wants it to go.  He has to make adjustments with the oars to keep the boat on course.  With a tiller, someone sitting in the back but facing forward, can steer the boat.  The rower only has to row.

Luke 4:1 tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert where he was tempted by the devil.  It’s as if the Spirit was at the tiller of Jesus’ life and steered him to the desert. Jesus rowed.

Who is at the tiller of your life?  Are you trying to row and steer your boat through this life?

I know that when I am at the tiller I avoid rough water, rapids, conflict, hard times, and times of testing.  But when the Spirit has the tiller of my life He sometimes takes me through all of these…and tells me to keep rowing. I can’t see where I’m going some of the time; it’s like I’m walking through this life backward.  But the Spirit is at the tiller and He has perfect vision of the future.  I can trust Him.  After all, He led Jesus through the desert; He can do the same for you and me.

Give up your tiller and keep rowing!

Pastor John

The animals had an official weigh-in back in March in order to keep track of their growth rate. That meant the steers had to be halter broke and the boys had to be able to lead them through a vet check to the scale. Ben and Josiah had to work hard to get their steers calm and build trust with them. Food is the great motivator; the steers are fed in the barn out of the weather, but they can only come in the barn by invitation and under a lead. Once inside they enjoy a feast of grain and alfalfa hay while getting brushed, a rub down, or a good belly scratch (if you were a steer you would really enjoy this too). It’s the bovine equivalent of a day spa!

They are eager to go in the barn and receive these benefits but they don’t want to be led by a human. They seem to have a bit of Frank Sinatra in them as they sing out, “I’ll do it my way!”

The steers are kind of like us, aren’t they? Oh sure, we smell better and have better hygiene, but we like to do things our way. We resist the lead rope. We tug and strain against the Holy Spirit. We quench the Spirit’s fire so we can have it our way.

We want the blessings of the barn but we insist on entering by our own way. We think we should have all the blessings of being a child of God, but we want to set the terms. And God won’t let anyone in who comes on their own terms.

Once the steer has learned the “Law of the Leash” he can be led around like a puppy. I remember last summer when Ben would walk his 1,100 lb steer, “Red,” up and down the street. The beast weighed more than ten times what Ben weighed and easily could have thrown him into the next field. It was something to see. But Red had learned submission. He learned when Ben had the end of the rope Ben was in charge.

Hebrews 12:9 tells us we ought to “submit to the Father of our spirits and live!” Let God take the lead and willingly follow behind. Put your full trust in the Divine Wrangler of our souls! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) The reward is so much better than grain and a belly scratching in the barn. It is an eternal city where the only light needed is the Lamb of God (Rev 21:23).

Trust Him!