Ash Wednesday - Wednesday March 6, 2019

Matthew 1:18-25

Pastor Sara Spohr 

She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”

It feels a little strange to read these verses from the Christmas story on Ash Wednesday.  Christmas is a message of life, Ash Wednesday’s message is one in which we are reminded of our own human mortality.  It is jarring to think that the baby Jesus born at Christmas to the sounds of Joy To The World, is also now the same Jesus born to give up his life, to die on the cross.

It occurs to me that this is just the paradox I need.  Human life is never all joy all of the time. Human life is never all sadness all of the time.  Here, with the birth of Jesus, God promises to be with us through it all, joy and pain, great days and bad ones, life and death.  Jesus is born, Jesus will die, and on every single day in between - Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us.”

Questions for Reflection:

• As you look back on the past week, what were your highs, the best things that happened, the things you want to remember?  What were your lows, the worst things, the ones you’d change or do over?

• Did you have a sense that God was with you in both the highs and the lows?

Prayer:

Loving God, thank you for walking with me through each and every step of my life.  Make me attentive to and thankful for your presence in the week ahead. Amen.