Tuesday, March 8, 2011

How Our Student Ministry is Observing Ash Wednesday


We're fortunate to be in a church that embraces some of the more ancient practices. Believe it or not our students are really drawn to the modern ancient aspect of worship. The beauty, depth and mystery of it all really engages their hearts in profound ways.

Tomorrow night IBC is hosting an Ash Wednesday service. For the 3rd year in a row we're really encouraging our students to participate.

Our part (student ministry) will be pretty simple. We'll be meeting with high school students and middle school students separately to share a short explanation of the tradition and why it can be meaningful for us. The focus on the depth of sin and beauty of God's grace is a powerful message for our students who lean towards moralism.

We'll then join the rest of the body in our Ash Wednesday service. It also will be simple with a short message from Isaiah 58, opportunity confess sin by writing some of our sins on a black cloth and then the imposition of ash.

These symbols serve as physical expressions of our sin which deepen and expose our desperate need for a saviour.

As we enter into this season of bright sadness my hope is that our students would be conscious of their sin and need for a saviour every day. It's beautiful that this season doesn't last forever. We look forward to the end of our lenten fast with the celebration of our Lord's victory of sin and death on Resurrection Sunday.

So, take advantage of this powerful time of year to share with students the beauty of Jesus' sacrificial work. You still have some time before tomorrow night to think it through.

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