Ashes for a Birthday?

Ashes for a birthday...what in the world does that mean? I'll start with the first part- ashes. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. From now until April 12th (Easter) we will be on a journey to the cross. Our times of worship on Sundays and Wednesdays will be focused on the suffering, sorrow, pain, and sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus. All of this culminates Easter morning at the empty tomb. The sacrifice of Jesus is made complete through His resurrection, and we celebrate with enormous joy that day.

But until then, we spend the next 6 weeks reflecting on our sin and pain that caused Jesus to have to sacrifice His life, so that he could give eternal life to all. Tonight at church we had ashes imposed on our foreheads in the sign of the cross. Those ashes were made from the burnt palm branches of Palm Sunday last year and symbolize repentance.

Not only is today Ash Wednesday, but it is also Scott's birthday. No, I did not give him ashes for his birthday, but it was an interesting combination of events for him and definitely a long work day. This birthday was rather uneventful for him compared with some birthdays of the past.

The first year I moved out here I arranged a surprise party for him with a bunch of church people. He showed up wearing this grungy Senor Frog's t-shirt. He didn't have a clue. It was pretty funny.

Another year we had an international birthday party with a friend who shares the same birthday as Scott (Happy birthday, Amy!). We dressed up in clothing from around the world, smoked a hooka, and celebrated together.

This year...rather boring of a birthday celebration, but it just seems hard to celebrate on a day that marks the beginning of Lent. Plus, he's becoming somewhat of a birthday grump- not wanting to celebrate his birthday too much, so I don't push it. People did surprise him at church yesterday by singing. That was pretty fun.

Another year older, another year wiser, another year of growth, another year of blessings! May you continue to delight in the Lord all the days of your life! Happy birthday, Scott.