| Allow yourself time for this moment with God |
Make it special. Will you make a cup of tea? Do you want to sit in a special place? Will you light a candle? Take five deep breaths. Check-in with how you are feeling – in body, in mind, in spirit. Take five more deep breaths and ask God to abide with you in this moment.
| Bible reading for today |
verses from Psalm 103
O my soul, come, praise the Lord with all that is in me—body, emotions, mind, and will—every part of who I am— praise His holy name. O my soul, come, praise the Lord; sing a song from a grateful heart; sing and never forget all the good He has done. Despite all your many offenses, He forgives and releases you. More than any doctor, He heals your diseases. He reaches deep into the pit to deliver you from death. He crowns you with unfailing love and compassion like a king. When your soul is famished and withering, He fills you with good and beautiful things, satisfying you as long as you live. He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth.
For He knows what we are made of; He knows our frame is frail, and He remembers we came from dust. The children of Adam are like grass; their days are few; they flourish for a time like flowers in a meadow. As the wind blows over the field and the bloom is gone, it doesn’t take much to blow us out of the memory of that place. But the unfailing love of the Lord is always and eternal for those who reverently run after Him. He extends His justice on and on to future generations, to those who will keep His bond of love and remember to walk in the guidance of His commands. Give praise to the Lord, all that He has made in all corners of His creation. O my soul, come, praise the Lord!
| Imagine this |
Picture yourself at an Ash Wednesday service. Remember the ash marked on your forehead, recall the words that are used.
Remember that you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.
Turn away from sin
and be faithful to Christ.
This has been a difficult year.
Where do you feel grief for those who are not there and all that feels lost?
When do you lament for all that has been endured and all that is uncertain?
How do you feel hope and humility among the great cloud of witnesses and before the light of Christ?
| Do the Bible reading again |
Take some time to read the Bible passage again, slowly (and out loud if you can). (and out loud if you can). Maybe look up the whole Psalm in your own Bible, or choose a version online that you are not familiar with.
| Enjoy a chat with God |
Talk with God about anything that stood out for you as you looked again at the Bible reading. Take time to savour the Lord’s Prayer.