Compiled by: Georgeanne Falstrom, Intern
PARISH LAY MINISTRY ACADEMY
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Saturday, April 1, 2006
(Daily Readings: Ps 33,102,108; Ex 2:23-3:15; 1Cor 13:1-13, Mark 9:14-29)


ASHES OF LOVE
By: Dee W. Brooks

Scripture:“If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him and always stand your ground in defending him”...1Cor 13:7
“There are three things that remain–faith, hope and love–and the greatest of these is love”...1Cor 13:13


On Thursday following Ash Wednesday, my oldest daughter and I were discussing the services each had attended the previous day. Hers was a Roman Catholic and mine Presbyterian. Aside from ritual differences, the services were quite similar, with a focus on the meaning of the Lenten season.

Common to both was the receipt of Ashes...the Mark of the Cross on the forehead.
Father John said the ashes were a reminder of Christ’s love. Pastor Dan said the ashes served as a reminder and outward sign that we belong to Christ. Although their messages sounded different, we decided both were right.

As often the case, our talk took another direction and led to discussion of love. In the course of that discussion, Kathryn shared an experience she had with her grandfather while she was an undergraduate at the University of Tulsa. They were having lunch together and she told him she absolutely loved the shrimp she had ordered. In his usual quiet, gentle manner, he admonished her, “No, you don’t love things. You like them. You love people.”

Wow! Simple, profound wisdom, right on with Paul’s teaching. His words regarding love, in this much quoted thirteenth chapter of first Corinthians, can ONLY apply to people!

I sometimes wonder if love is the most overused, misused, abused and indiscriminately used word in our language. Has this led to trivialization of something described as the greatest of three...Faith, Hope, Love? Has our society lost sight of what love really is? Do we really love in the manner prescribed by Paul in today’s scripture reading? Is there anything we need to change in our relationships?

As we move through the remainder of this Lenten season, let us reflect on God’s profound, amazing, unconditional and eternal love for his creation, all of his people, including us, you and me. It is a love without measure, one our infinite human minds cannot fully comprehend. Let us reflect on the sacrificial love of Jesus and its meaning for each of us. Let us reflect on how we love. Let us begin and end each day on our knees, giving thanks and praising God for his love and precious gift of Grace.

In his book, Discover Your Destiny, Dr. Charles Stanley states, “A Life without love flowing through it...love that comes from God and is shown to others...is a life without meaning. It is an empty existence.” Without love, the ashes have no meaning!

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your amazing love, for your forgiveness, and for your precious gift of Grace. May your love flow through us to all those around us each day.

Dee is a guest writer from Lubbock, TX. He is a Stephen Minister and professional counselor.