Ash Wednesday

We Belong to God 

“Store up for yourselves treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6: 20-21

In life and in death, we belong to God. When we love Jesus, when our treasure and heart are devoted to God’s glorious new reality for us, then we belong to the God of love, and not to this world of brokenness. Philippians 3:20 says “our citizenship is in heaven” and our Savior, the Lord Jesus, will transform our broken mortal flesh into goodness and glory. We belong to God. We do not belong only to this world. As citizens of heaven, what we treasure and hope for are different from this world’s fears and hopes. 

Lent is a time to face death. For 40 days we anticipate the betrayal and public execution of Jesus on the cross. On Ash Wednesday we sometimes even mark ourselves with a cross of ashes to identify with Jesus’ suffering and physical death with us and for us.

When our citizenship is in heaven, we see things very differently from this world’s ways. We who follow Jesus need not fear death. We need not live in denial of death, believing the lie that this mortal world is all we can hope for. We who follow Jesus can face our mortal death without fear. For we know we also belong to an immortal and perfect realm whose goodness and glory will deliver us to a glorious and perfected world. 

As we journey to the cross and its terror, remember that we belong to God, in both life and death. We need not fear our walk to the cross together on this wondrous journey of love and ultimate hope.