📖 Ash Wednesday New Testament Reading: 2 Cor. 5:20b-6:10
⏰ “There’s no time like the present” – you’ve probably heard this saying before.
😬 Like most people, you might find yourself putting things off, cramming at the last minute, when you know it feels so much better to complete tasks on time and then relax.
➡️ This is exactly what Paul addresses in 2 Corinthians 6.
🙏 He urges the Corinthians not to receive God’s grace in vain, saying “Now is the favorable time; now is the day of salvation.”
💭 You might wonder how you can put off salvation since it’s God’s work, not yours.
✝️ But on this Ash Wednesday, you’re called to embrace that ancient tradition of repentance.
➕ Don’t delay in receiving the ash cross on your forehead — that powerful reminder that you are dust and to dust you shall return.
🙌 Take this moment to confess your sins, both those you’re aware of and those known only to God.
❤️ And receive absolution, which was won by Jesus on the cross.
🕊️ The prophet Joel reminds us, return to theLord, for He is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in steadfast love.
🛡️ He turns away disaster from you.
⚡ This is what happened on the cross, where God placed your disaster upon His Son, so that through Christ’s death, you might live.
📅 Today is the perfect time to remember this truth.
🌅 You don’t know when Christ will return or call you home, so live each day in joyful expectation.
✨ While you wait, take comfort in knowing that He is present with you now and always, through His Word and the Sacraments.
Contributor Timothy Chase is pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Truman, MN.
#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #ashwednesday
If you have questions or topics that you’d like discussed on Higher Things, email them to content@higherthings.org
Subscribe to our channel to get notifications when we go live: http://youtube.com/@HTgospel4all
To support the work of Higher Things®, visit https://higherthings.org/morehi/giving/
For more information about Higher Things, go to http://higherthings.org
——
Join the conversation on Social Media:
http://facebook.com/higherthings
http://instagram.com/higherthings
https://www.tiktok.com/@higherthings
