Reflections Post Ash Wednesday

On Wednesday evening at Seneca Presbyterian Church, we gathered in silence for a traditional Ash Wednesday service of worship. As I prepared for the service and the season it begins, I was taken by the delicate balance found in this thing we call sin. Lent is intended to be the season of self-examination. We ponder the darkness of our lives - our failures, our sorrows, our short-comings - anything that keeps us apart from God. Such a discipline is a good thing. We need to take an honest look at ourselves every now and then! We keep the discipline of Lent in anticipation of the glorious Good News of Easter when we shall experience once again the grace of God's amazing love that is more powerful than all our sins, our failures, our sorrows, and our short-comings. Thanks be to God!

But I wonder if there is more to the balancing act? When we are honest with ourselves and see the wrong of our lives, we cry out for grace and trust that God will bypass judgment. But when we are the ones who have been wronged, we cry for accountability. Heading too quickly to forgive denies the justice of judgment that we feel we deserve. It is a delicate balancing act, isn't it? For grace to be real, should we not also be accountable for the wrong we have done?

It would seem that we do need this season called Lent. For we need to be more than sorry for the wrong we have done. We need to repent - to turn around, to change, and to be made new. For when we are willing to be both judged and forgiven, the shortcomings of our lives can be redeemed – which is more than simple forgiveness. In the end, even the sin of our lives can become more powerfully good. For sin is whatever keeps us from knowing – in our head, our heart, our gut, and our spirit – that God is truly Lord of all.