Hope From Ashes

Read: Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

Better-Than-Life Love

Because your (God’s) steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you (God).

Psalm 63:3 (NRSVUE)

I was blessed to be born into a wonderful Christian family who loved me and taught me how much God loves me; therefore, my life has been good from the very beginning. Like King David, who wrote Psalm 63 when he was in the Judean desert, I know how good life can be even through difficult times.

My older sister, Judy, a Huntingdon College graduate, helped me to understand how love makes life better. I remember so many times when I misbehaved as a little boy and had to go before my loving parents to be held accountable as they tried to raise me to know the difference between right and wrong and between good and bad behavior. However, I also vividly remember the many times my sister would plead for me to receive mercy as she stood by my side. My sister taught me how valuable a loving advocate can be. I also remember how sorry I was to see her go away to college leaving me to struggle through without her advocacy!

Yes, life is good, but receiving God’s steadfast, faithful, and merciful love always makes life even better! Jesus, God incarnate, came to show us God’s graceful love embodied in human form. Jesus, God’s beloved Son and our perfect advocate, pleads for us in spite of our sinful condition. On the cross, with arms outstretched while being horribly crucified by sinful people, Jesus lovingly prays, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34 NRSVUE)

On Ash Wednesday we began this Christian Holy Season of Lent by humbly acknowledging our human frailty, our need to repent, and our dependence on God’s graceful love. We continue our pilgrimage throughout Lent in order to celebrate Easter morning fully because we have prepared our hearts, souls, and minds to accept Jesus as our loving, merciful, and redeeming Savior.

Yes, indeed, life is given to us by God and is good; and even better than life itself is God’s steadfast love! Therefore, let us praise God with our hearts, our souls, our voices, and our actions both now and forever more!

Prayer:

Loving God, we do praise your Holy name in gratitude for both our very lives and the wonderful love, mercy, and grace you offer us through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. Help us to accept your forgiveness and to love and forgive others as you love and mercifully forgive us. In Christ’s name, Amen.