An Invitation to Return

There are moments in the church calendar that invite celebration, and others that invite stillness. Ash Wednesday is one of those sacred invitations to be still.

As we observe Ash Wednesday, we step into a season that is not rushed, not loud, and not hurried. It is a season that gently calls us to examine our hearts, to remember who we are, and to return to the One who formed us.

Ash Wednesday centers on a simple but profound truth: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These words are not meant to discourage us. They are meant to ground us. In a culture that constantly urges us to build, perform, prove, and accumulate, Ash Wednesday reminds us that our lives are fragile gifts held in the hands of a faithful God.

The ashes historically placed upon the forehead are both sobering and hopeful. They acknowledge our mortality, our sin, and our need for grace. Yet they are traced in the shape of a cross, the sign of Christ’s redeeming love. Even in repentance, we are marked by mercy.

Why Lent Matters

Lent is a forty-day journey that mirrors Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. It is a season of preparation, reflection, and renewal. Historically, the church has practiced prayer, fasting, and generosity during Lent, not as religious performance, but as intentional space-making.

The forty days of Lent do not include Sundays. Each Sunday is a “little Easter,” a weekly celebration of the resurrection. Even as we repent, we rejoice. Even as we fast, we remember that Christ is risen. Lent holds both humility and hope together.

• We create space so that God can search us.
• We quiet distractions so we can hear His voice.
• We loosen our grip on comforts so we can cling more closely to Christ.

Lent is not about spiritual self-improvement. It is about spiritual honesty. It is about allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal where our loves have become disordered, where our trust has shifted, and where our hearts have grown dull. It is about receiving the grace of God that continually restores us.

A Season of Returning

The prophet Joel records the Lord’s invitation: “Return to me with all your heart.” Lent is that return.

• For some, returning may mean confessing sins that have quietly shaped your life.
• For others, it may mean re-centring your daily rhythms around Scripture and prayer.
• For still others, it may mean grieving losses you have not yet brought before God.

Ash Wednesday does not demand perfection. It invites surrender. It opens a doorway to deeper communion with God.

As a church, we can observe this season together, even without a formal gathering on this Ash Wednesday, by setting our hearts toward repentance, humility, and renewed devotion to Jesus.

How to Prepare Your Heart

As we observe Ash Wednesday and enter the Lenten season, consider preparing in these ways:

• Pray intentionally. Ask God to reveal what He desires to shape in you during this season.
• Choose a practice. Consider fasting from distractions and establishing a daily rhythm of Scripture reading or prayer.
• Examine your heart. Where have you felt distant from God? Where might He be inviting you closer
• Seek reconciliation. Lent is a fitting time to mend relationships and pursue peace.
• Embrace hope. Remember that Lent leads to Easter. Repentance always moves toward resurrection.

From Ashes to Resurrection

Ash Wednesday marks us with ashes, but it does not leave us there. Lent is a journey that moves toward the cross and, through the cross, to the empty tomb. The same Saviour who calls us to repentance is the One who carries our sin, defeats death, and makes all things new.

In this season, may we resist the temptation to rush ahead. May we allow God to do His patient, refining work within us. May we become people who are honest about our weaknesses and confident in His grace.

As we observe Ash Wednesday, may this prayer from Scripture shape our posture:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” – Psalm 139:23–24