CRM Lent Devotional

Scripture Reading - Day 1 (Ash Wednesday)

Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast… (Joel 2:15-16 NIV)

Meditation

    I remember the first time Karis, our daughter, received the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday.  She was less than a year old, our nearly perfect, beautiful firstborn.  We took her forward to the altar where the rector made the sign of the cross on her forehead with ashes and said, “From dust you have come and to dust you shall return…”
   
    The smudge of the black ashes was startling, so out of place on her innocent face.  Of course we knew she had received the fallen nature of Eve, but she had hardly evidenced it at this age.  It was a sobering realization that this child, like me, would need the cleansing and covering offered through the death of Jesus.

    A significant first occurred for Karis that day: it was her first time to be gathered into the “sacred assembly” and to be identified with a community of broken people in desperate need of a Savior.  

    In our Protestant framework and perhaps in our American independence, confession is dealt with on an individual basis; it’s my business, my money, my responsibility, and even in the spiritual realm, it is my sin.  And so it is.  But scripture shows us another form of confession—the corporate confession of a community.  Everyone was called to the solemn assembly in the passage above—the priests, the servants, the bride and bridegroom preparing to marry—including the nursing infants.  Clearly, God knew something significant happens when we gather together as a body, collectively expressing our repentance and need for his offering of forgiveness and peace.  

    Some of my friends think Lent is depressing and unnecessary.  “We’ve been set free from our sin; it’s not healthy to dwell on my sinfulness,” they say.  That is what Lent is: sitting with our sinfulness much longer than we may be comfortable.  Without taking a hard look at the extent of our need, we may be unable to taste the goodness of the Lord.  That’s why Jesus said to the Pharisee, “He who has been forgiven little loves little…” (Luke 7:47, NIV).  How much more meaningful Easter becomes when I’ve contemplated anew my great need for atonement and his willingness to sacrifice on my behalf!

    Our firstborn is now almost 10 and has long since removed any doubt of her need for a Savior.  She is a sinner in need of grace, just like me, like her dad, her sisters, her friends, and her community.  But she’s also a member of the community of the redeemed—those who have been clothed by their Redeemer with garments of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).  That’s a community I want my daughter to be identified with through her entire life and beyond.  

Questions for Reflection

• In what community do you find it safe enough to confess your sins to one another?
• Which is easier for you to dwell on: your sinfulness or God’s generous gift of grace?
• How can you move toward a balanced understanding of both?

Staff Bio

Amy Galloway serves on the Staff Development and Care Team and lives in Murrieta, CA, with her husband, Alex, and their three daughters.  They are preparing to move to Europe and pioneer CRM’s first missionary care and training center providing counseling, spiritual direction, and ministry training.

In this issue

• Scripture Reading - Day 1 (Ash Wednesday)
• Meditation
• Questions for Reflection
• Staff Bio

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