Tonight, we will gather together for Ash Wednesday as we begin the journey of Lent. We are marked with dust to remember our mortality as humans, in the sign of the cross to encourage us in repentance to a God who forgives and saves. We set the table for Lent, as N.T. Wright describes being a season of honest lament and genuine celebration, leading us towards the resurrection of Christ on Easter. It can be easy (and I say this from experience) to let our daily schedules and the busyness of our life to intervene and even inhibit us from fully participating in this season of self-examination and fasting. Remember, the three rules are simple, not easy. As we attend to the ordinances of God in the coming weeks, may you be open to the life-changing movement of the Holy Spirit that can come when we draw closer, and be daring enough to challenge the ordinary and routine!