On Ash Wednesday

The first day of Lenten season. Preparation-for-the-cross season. I search out the crucifixion in my daily reading, and the living word does not disappoint:

My Help and My Deliverer
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
40 I uwaited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and vheard my cry. 2 He drew me up from wthe pit of destruction,
out of xthe miry bog,
and yset my feet upon a rock,
zmaking my steps secure.3  He put aa new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will bsee and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.4 Blessed is the man who cmakes
the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who dgo astray after a lie!5  You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your ewondrous deeds and your fthoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are gmore than can be told.6 hIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open iear.1Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.7  Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written jof me:8 kI delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is lwithin my heart.”9 I have told the glad news of deliverance2in mthe great congregation;
behold, I have not nrestrained my lips,
oas you know, O Lord.10  I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.11 As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your psteadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!12  For evils have qencompassed me
beyond number;
my riniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot ssee;
they are tmore than the hairs of my head;
my heart ufails me.13 vBe pleased, O Lord, to wdeliver me!
O Lord, xmake haste to help me!14 y Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be zturned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt! 15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who asay to me, “Aha, Aha!”16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
bsay continually, “Great is the Lord!”17  As for me, I am cpoor and needy,
but dthe Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

In the cross is the fullness of deliverance, the awesome faithfulness of the Father proclaimed to the whole world. From the moment of sin, God was not content only to execute is holy wrath. Grace leads to a conversation with erring children. Grace leads to a promise of salvation. Grace leads to the cross and God's great deliverance.

We rejoice and are glad in this season of fasting and preparation!

Resources for Lent:

As you prepare, may I suggest a simple devotion such as this book from last year

or John Piper's brief insightful work, The Passion of Jesus Christ.

Over at A Holy Experience, Ann Voskamp is offering a free printable to use with your whole family.

In the Beginning... was the Resurrection

I see the Garden in a little girl's eyes. She hurls the telling book from her lap when I poke my head in her room. Must hide the evidence of a nap time escape. Her eyes all fear over whether the lie worked. Just like her first mom, she covers her sin.

We kneel at her bed. Not a time for the rod. The heart is sick this time. The extra Boynton book doesn't matter. The heart that wants to hide her sin, cover it herself, avoid confession and the cross - that matters. I can't fix hearts, so I turn to the only one who can. We pray.

We pray for Jesus to cover our sins with His blood. For God to search our hearts and know our anxious thoughts. For humble honesty. Her words are more simple. Heavenly Father, I sorry I covered my sin. Thank you for Jesus. Amen! Hands thrown high. Her brow relaxes in a smile. The cross brings peace with the Father.

And is it coincidence that I'm reading Genesis 2-3 when I hear the bump that brings me to the great cover up? Surely not.

God covers perfectly.

And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

Eating brought death. For Adam and Eve to continue living, something else had to die. In this case, an animal to provide clothes. In the overall picture of eternity, Christ Jesus our Lord to provide holiness before an almighty God. As the very first sin is committed, God demonstrates His plan of redemption for mankind.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

God's redemption is so much bigger and farther reaching than we can credit in one day or week or life time. Everyday we uncover before him to realize redemptive power in our lives and the scope of God's work in us.