"Praying For You This Ash Wednesday" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

Praying for you and your loved ones this Ash Wednesday...


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Dear Ones:

     On this Ash Wednesday, we remember that 'it is dust from which we came....and that it is to dust we shall return.'

     On this Holy day, let us each remember the somber truth of our very existence-in-Christ.

God Bless You,

Rev. Barbara Sexton

www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"  O

"Ash Wednesday-The First Day of Lent" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

 

courtesy www.TurnBackToGod.com

Dear Ones:

     Today is Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of 'Lent'.  Lent is a period of 40 days during which time Christian believers typically 'give up something' as a spiritual reminder or 'act of devotion' to help them 'focus' on God in Christ during this time.

     Some Christians 'do something' (i.e. volunteer work, of some kind) in lieu of abstaining from something.  The point is to 'honor that which is much larger than our individual selves'.

     We become 'unified' in all the world at this time.   As a 'body of believers', we strongly remember that we are 'one' in the 'Body of Christ'...not just today, but on each day of the year, of course.  But this time is definitely special for us.

     Incidentally, the 'Sunday's of Lent do not 'count' as one of those '40 days of Lent', for each 'Sunday' of Lent is considered to be a 'little Easter'.

     It seems that even during a time of 'self-denial', the Lord gives us 'constant reminders' of the glory that awaits each of us regarding the 'Resurrection Story'!

     Whether or not a Christian continues to deny him or herself on these 'Sundays of Lent' is a matter of individual discernment.  If your heart has a question, pray on it and you will receive your answer at once.

     But the Kingdom of Christ, of course, is more than a collection of mere 'rules and regulations' and of 'does and don'ts'.  In fact, rich tradition colors all the days of our liturgical lives.

     For example, Christianity is replete with 'numerical significances' and in overlying 'themes', such as the 40 years of the Israelites in the desert:

^"35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan."  Ex 16:35  (NIV)

the 40 days and nights during which Elijah fled to Horeb bolstered by an 'angelic meal':

 "⁷ The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave and spent the night."   1Kings 19:7-9  (NIV)

^{the 40 days that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness:}

 ^"1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted^[a] by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  Matthew 4:1-3  (NIV)

among others examples where the number '40' figures prominently, as it does during Lent.

     I am not suggesting that anyone become overly-focused on 'numbers in the Bible'...but, rather, that we can enjoy our shared foundation with generations past, with an eye towards those believers yet to be born on this earth--our children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren!

     If your faith life does not ordinarily include a Lenten commitment, won't you join us this year?

     Won't you join us on this 'faith journey' as we travel onwards towards the blessed triumph known as Easter?

I pray you do!

Love, Rev. Barb

Rev. Barbara Sexton

"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"

www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

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"Have A Blessed Ash Wednesday" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

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"The Story Of Mardi Gras" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

The Story Of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras came to New Orleans through its French heritage in 1699. Early explorers celebrated this French Holiday on the banks of the Mississippi River. Throughout the years, Orleanians have added to the celebration by establishing krewes (organizations) which host parades and balls. Carnival quickly became an exciting holiday for both children and adults.

Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and of course is celebrated on that day of the week. The date can fall between February 3 and March 9 depending on the Lunar calendar, used by the Catholic Church to determine the date of Easter. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.

Read the rest here:  http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/story2.htm

"King Cake For Mardi Gras-What Is It?" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

King Cake (ABOVE)

Read about it here: http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/cake.htm

"The History Of Mardi Gras-Carnival" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

The history of Mardi Gras-read it here: http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/story.htm

"Just the name Mardi Gras conjures up images of drunken, bead-wearing revelers dancing through the streets of New Orleans. But how, and when, did this huge mid-winter party get started? Here's a look at the history of Mardi Gras throughout the ages and across the nations.

Historians tell us that the ancient Romans probably kicked off the Mardi Gras celebrations. Their mid-February festival known as Lupercalia honored the god Lupercus, alternately known as the god of fertility and the god of agriculture and pastoral shepherds. In either case, his party definitely had Mardi Gras-like qualities, including days of feasting and drinking. And a little enjoying the "pleasures of the flesh", probably, too -- in fact, the term Carnival, often synonymous with Mardi Gras, is derived from the Latin expression meaning "farewell to the flesh." Read the rest here:
The history of Mardi Gras-read it here: http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/story.htm

"Mardi Gras 'Colors'-What They Mean" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors were chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex. He chose these colors to stand for the following:

• Purple represents justice
• green stands for faith
• gold stands for power

LINK:   http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/colors.htm

"Happy 'Fat Tuesday'--Mardi Gras Celebration This Year" By Rev. Barbara Sexton Dear Ones Healing Ministry

The history of Mardi Gras: http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/story.htm

 When is Mardi Gras?  By year: http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/dates.htm

"An Ash Wednesday Remembrance For You" By Reverend Barbara Sexton 'Dear Ones Healing Ministry'

courtesy www.GospelGifs.com  Jim Sutton

Dear Ones:

Remember on this Ash Wednesday, that "it is from dust you came and it is to dust you shall return."

These are the words you pastor will say to you as he anoints your forehead with ashes, making the sign of the cross.

There are two Scripture passages for you to reflect upon today, whether you have literal ashes on your forehead or not.

If you are unable to get to a church or other place to receive ashes, consider this:

Ask the Holy Spirit to anoint your 'spirit-body forehead' and let this be your Ash Wednesday observance.

Let scoffers 'scoff'.  But even the most-hardened atheist/agnostic acknowledges what the medical community calls 'phantom limb pain' after an amputation.

Pray God these nay-sayers expand their minds to understand that 'phantom limbs' are nothing more than an amputee's 'spirit leg'!

No matter how you honor this day, here are two Scripture passages for you to reflect upon.  Please take the time to use the link provided to read the extended readings which will help you to understand the concept of 'dust-to-dust'.

"5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."    Genesis 2:5-7 (NIV)

"17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Genesis 3:17-19  (NIV)
LINK: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202-3&version=NIV 

Your pastor anoints your forehead with ashes as an 'outward sign' to the world and to yourself that you dedicate your life to our Lord Jesus Christ.

You realize that your life--all life--is precious and is 'fast-fleeting'.

The 'ashes' used on Ash Wednesday are made by burning 'last years' dried palm fronds from Palm Sunday which are saved, burned and blessed especially for this purpose.

No 'common' ashes here!

Everything in liturgical use is special in origin and utilization.

In fact, Good Christians have a sacred reverence for ALL that God has given us in the natural world...or we should have anyway.

So on this day, dear ones, take the time to reflect upon your own mortality and ask yourself the question: "If I die right now, what state of 'grace' will I be found to be in?

Is my life one which is pleasing to God, our Father and our Creator?

My prayer for all of you is that you enjoy peace-of-heart with the Lord on this solemn day, Ash Wednesday, free of doubt...and full of faith.

With Love in Christ
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com

courtesy www.GospelGifs.com  Jim Sutton

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"Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday Around The World: Underneath It All" By Reverend Barbara Sexton 'Dear Ones Healing Ministry'

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Dear Ones:

     Our Christian faith is only as good as what it is based upon. 
     Of course, God is our 'Anchor'. 
     And Jesus, as our Savior, roots each of us to all that is 'good' in this world and the next...if only we can manage to remember that when things get us down!
     I ask you not to give up, dear fellow Christians, wherever you may be.
     Despair is just not the way of our Lord.
      Be assured that our prayers, tithes and efforts are ever with you who are being persecuted in places like the Middle East and Europe.
     We 'uplift and support believers in the 'West', where God-hating humanists seek to harass, suppress and silence us Christians.
     We will not give up.  We will not be 'slaves to fear'. 
     God has something so much better in mind for believers and even for doubters (atheists and agnostics) who 'come to believe' in time.
     Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, we contemplate our own mortality, a concept all too well known to us already.
     But try to be of good cheer.  Use your Ash Wednesday and Lenten time to remember that our God is a Righteous God. 
     Reflect upon His mercy and compassion, which is all around us. 
     Already we witness the work of His Mightly Hands and Heart  with a mixture of excitement and wonder.
     Don't be afraid of what is or is to come, but, rather, embrace it.
     These are 'birth pangs'--not easy to endure, but definitely survivable.
     Jesus tells us:
"6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains."
"Matthew 24:6-8 (NIV))
LINK: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024&version=NIV
God Bless You
Reverend Barbara Sexton
"The Biblical Biochemist-Where Science Meets the Cross"
www.DearOnesHealingMinistry.blogspot.com