Lenotional: Day 2

An old song says of God

"give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,

messages of joy instead of news of doom,

a praising heart instead of a languid* spirit."

[Isaiah 61:3]

At what times has this been your experience?

Place some ash and a small bowl of oil on your purple place. (Or, if this isn't going to work for you, draw it and put it somewhere visible in your room. You could even make it abstract if you're feeling arty)

languid = tired/worn out

Lenotional: Day One; Ash Wednesday

Your journey through Lent and toward Easter begins today.

Ash is a biblical sign of repentance (choosing to turn an aspect of your life around).

Traditionally this ash is made from the burning last year's Palm Sunday palm branches, symbolising how our plans to follow Jesus often end in ashes.

Most Anglican and Catholic churches will have an ashing service today You might like to join one. As part of the service you may have a + made on your forehead.

Palm-tree ash connects the excitement, celebration, and high expectation of Jesus' coming in to Jerusalem (the crowd waved palm branches), with the apparent failure and sadness of his death a week later (the ash).

Think about situations in your life where excitement and anticipation have eventually left you with ashes. Where was God in this?

If you can;t get ashes to a service, make some ash and mark your forehead with an ash cross as a sign of your willingness to commit to this uncertain journey of following Jesus.