Ash Wednesday Scriptures

Yet even now, says theLord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. Forgracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment. Perhaps he will again relent and leave behind him a blessing, Offerings and libations for the Lord your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion! proclaim a fast, call an assembly; Gather the people, notify the congregation; Assemble the elders, gather the children and the infants at the breast; Let the bridegroom quit his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep, And say "Spare, O Lord, your people, and make not your heritage a reproach, with the nations ruling over them! Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?" Then the Lord was stirred to concern for his land and took pity on his people. -joel 2:12-18

This makes us ambassadors for Christ, God as if were appealing through us. We implore you, in Christ's name: be reconciled to God! For our sakes God made him who did not know sin, to be sin, that in him we might become the very holiness of God. As your fellow workers we beg you to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, In an acceptable time I have heard you; on a day of salvation I have helped you. Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of Salvation. -2 corinthians 5:20-6:2

Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see. Otherwise expect no recompese from you heavenly Father. When you give alms, for example, do not blow a horn before you in synagogues and streets like hypocrites looking for applause. You can be sure of this much, they are already repaid. In giving alms you are not to let your heft hand know what your right hand is doing. Keep your deeds of mercy secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. When you are praying do not behave like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in synagogues or street corners in order to be noticed. I give you my word, they are already repaid. Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door and pray to your father in Private. Then your Father who sees what no man sees will repay you... When you fast , you are not to look glum as the hypocrites do. They change the appearance of their faces so that others may see they are fasting. I assure you, they are already repaid. When you fast, see to it that you groom your hair and wash your face. In that way no one can see you are fasting but your father who is in hidden; and your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you. -Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18.

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Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the journey. And these passages are so appropriate. The journey to reconciliation. But it's a journey that is to be taken seriously. The presense of Christ is at hand!

I am ready. The rewards are not immediate, but for 40 days I must learn to be patient. To wait. To trust God that in my journey, I will ultimately be rewarded by my Father in Heaven. Not here on Earth.

I feel like Lent came at a good time. I have been suffering through transition for a couple of weeks now, and now it's time to put that aside and realize why I'm truly here. What my true purpose is. To wait in anticipation for Christ to come.