Ash Wednesday starts the season of Lent and the them of Lent, traditionally, is "Return to the Lord your God. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." Our theme for Lent is the fulfillment of that prophetic call from Joel 2. We remember that "return" means that the story doesn't start with our sin, it starts with God's love and His desire to walk with us through eternity. Eternity doesn't start when we die. It starts when we come into relationship with Jesus Christ.

We will look at the process of Joel's prophecy which includes a Reckoning (the day of Lord is at hand and judgment against sin and death comes with Him), Repenting (He invites us to open our hearts and receive Him because His judgment is not only against sin and death, but it is for us to have life in Him), Restoring (because when Jesus enters our lives only He can restore the ravages of sin), and Refreshing (because Jesus love is so great that He gives us His Holy Spirit so we can walk with Him and in Him touching the world with His love).

The cross we wear on Ash Wednesday is a reminder of our mortality, but also of our imminent eternity of walking with Jesus.