Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

As Lent approaches, we are reminded of our need for repentance. Psalm 51 is the traditional confessional Psalm for Ash Wednesday. In our recitation we confess our state of sin to the Lord and ask for His divine mercy in the form of forgiveness. We beseech His power and goodness make us clean and whole.

While Psalm 51 articulates our confession, the death and resurrection of Christ articulates God’s absolution. Jesus Christ is God’s response to our prayer of repentance. God sends His only Sin into the world to ‘blot out our transgressions’ and ‘wash us of our iniquity.’

The imposition of ashes is also a rite to remind us of our state of sin and mortality. “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return” is a more poetic method of saying, “you are not God.” The foundation of our repentance returns to that fact – we are not God and occasionally we lose track of that reality. When we overlook that little detail of not being God, we go astray. Most, if not all, sin goes back to human trying to wrest control from God.

The reminder that we are not God is not merely a reprimand. It also proclaims good news. We are not God; we are not in control; we are not responsible for all of creation. God, who is much more qualified, is in charge. Where we fail, God succeeds.

During the season of Lent, a holy time of repentance, we are reminded to remain focused on the ‘Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.’ Your sins are forgiven. You are made clean. Receive God’s abundant mercy. Experience His steadfast love given to you in Christ Jesus our Lord. The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.