Starting this week, we are going to have a very special season for 40 days.

I am not sure if you guys remember what we did last year. Do you remember the word, “Lent”? 

Lent lasts for 40 days before Easter.

During this time, we remember how Jesus Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness, praying and getting ready for his important work.

During Lent, we try to reflect ourselves to become more like Jesus Christ.

We 1) pray more – we talk to God more often

2) give something up – maybe less candy or chocolate, less screen time, or something we enjoy.

3) do more good things – we help others, be kind, and show love

We do these things to help us grow closer to Jesus and prepare to celebrate Easter.

The Lenten season is a special time for us to die with Christ by turning away from sin and waiting with hope to be resurrected with Christ.

Dust symbolizes that we are human. We are created beings.

We are not God. But we are not made of only dust. We also have the breath of life.

We have God’s breath in us. It symbolizes that we are created in God’s image.

We are not just dust. We are children of God. We have God-likeness in us.

However, what happened? Sin came.

When they disobeyed God, that God-likeness in us was broken, and we became subject to dust.

That is why we need Jesus Christ. Jesus came to restore the God-likeness in us.

He came to breathe his Spirit into us and make us living beings once again.

Death came, so we are not free from death. But that is not the end.

If we have the breath of God given through Jesus Christ, dust will return to dust, but God’s image in us will remain forever.

And we will live again because of that.

* Ash Wednesday Activity *

Today, we are going to do a very special Ash Wednesday activity.

I will use ash to make a small cross on your forehead. This cross reminds us of three important things:

First, it reminds us that we are dust.

Second, it reminds us that we need Jesus.

The ash reminds us that our bodies are made from dust, but God’s life and love are in us forever.

When you receive the ash cross, I am going to say, “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return,”

then, you can say, “Jesus, I need you.”

*

이번주 수요일, 재의 수요일부터 시작되는 40일동안의 사순절 기간

예수님을 더 알아가고, 예수님을 우리에게 보내주신 하나님 아버지께 더 감사하는 시간이 되길 기도합니다.