Ash Wednesday, February 13th, 2013

Welcome to my first reflection on this year's Lenten devotions!  What a different way to view repentance!  God's kindness and love leads us to return to God, not God's judgment and wrath. When I was a student at the University of Minnesota, every year a fundamentalist Christian group would arrive on campus for a few days and preach God's judgment to students as they walked by on the Northrup Mall.  They would judge student's clothes, the classes offered by the University, the other faith traditions students might believe, etc., etc.  Then they would preach that the students needed to repent or be condemned by God.  All that ever seemed to do was foster anger and resentment towards that group.  I seriously doubt their method led to repentance by anyone.

We do need to return to God, again and again.  But what a joy it is to return to a loving God that always welcomes us back.  This Ash Wednesday I will listen again to the words that call us to repentance and turn my life back to God..  But I will do so gratefully, so thankful for God's kindness and love!