A 40-day Journey to the Cross.
Week One – Ash Wednesday
Shimmering hope mingled with ashes
I hear a word
as I wander this wilderness passage
BELOVED.
I am His. He is mine.
Flooded by Spirit and waters divine.
On this first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, we invite you to journey with us for the next 40 days as we walk the path of the cross, and into the ultimate light of the resurrection. To us, everything hinges on this story, and everything hinges on our response to it.
We enter into this wilderness together – and yet alone – with the only One who can take this journey with us. Mirroring the 40 transformative days Jesus spent in the desert, we willingly say “yes” to being tested, tried, and purified. There is an eagerness to which we enter the wilderness, knowing His powerful presence is with us in it, and when we reach our destination, it will be like knowing Him again for the first time. It will be a path of necessary struggle, and yet fulfilling joy.
Today on Ash Wednesday, we press the mark of the cross on our foreheads, eager for the ashes, eager for repentance.
“…for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19
Daily Readings
March 7 Reading
Mark 1:9-12
The water of the Spirit precedes the wilderness. Ask Him to fill you anew during this season.
March 8 Reading
Matthew 4
Jesus was flesh, like us, and knew hunger. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights we see him pointing to his true sustenance, the Word of God. What is God saying to you this day? This will be your sustenance.
March 9 Reading
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Pray for the message of reconciliation to be evident in your life – reconciliation of yourself to God and yourself to others.
March 10
Sundays are always set aside to celebrate the resurrection.
March 11 Reading
Psalm 51:1-3
Meditate on the Lord’s mercy and compassion towards you and his faithfulness to restore and forgive despite our tendency to stumble.
March 12 Reading
Psalm 91
We settle into this safe, secret place with God, and having wrapped ourselves into this safety, we know that we will be led out with joy and peace, having been shaped by His character.
