“The Voice”-John 1:23
“Remember: you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Those are the words that are said as the ashes of the palm branches are placed on our forehead at the Ash Wednesday service. But there is more. Dust is not our destiny. Our destiny is to be with God forever. Paul quotes the Old Testament prophet Hosea, “Death is swallowed up in victory,” and then adds, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:54 & 57 Jesus, the descendant of David, fulfilled the promise of a king, a Messiah to come. Jesus was the Word but before the Word came the Voice. Listen to the voice tonight and remember we are dust but buried with Christ we are raised with Him and live in His Kingdom now and forever.
Question: When was the practice of Lent started?
Answer: Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar. Like all Christian holy days and holidays, it has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same: self-examination and penitence, demonstrated by self-denial, in preparation for Easter. Early church father Irenaus of Lyons (c.130-c.200) wrote of such a season in the earliest days of the church, but back then it lasted only two or three days, not the 40
observed today.
