Ash Wednesday Sermon 2025

Sermon for Ash Wednesday: Growing Up in Christ

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

As we gather on this solemn Ash Wednesday, we are reminded of our mortality and our need for repentance. The ashes on our foreheads symbolize our humble acknowledgment that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. Yet, in this humility, we find the profound opportunity to grow deeper in our faith and commitment to Christ. We see the visual 

In years past, many of us have chosen to give up simple pleasures like chocolate or ice cream during Lent. While these acts of abstinence are meaningful, they often remain at the surface of our spiritual journey. This year, I invite you to consider a more profound form of fasting—one that challenges us to grow up in Christ and transform our lives in a deeper way. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, urges us to "grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). This growth requires us to move beyond the superficial and engage in practices that truly transform our hearts and minds.

Instead of merely giving up a favorite treat, let us fast from behaviors and attitudes that hinder our spiritual growth. Let us fast from impatience and embrace patience, fast from anger and cultivate forgiveness, fast from selfishness and practice generosity. We can identify today things that are not good for our spiritual growth and fast from those things. If is the news, social media, speed, talking more than we should, providing more attention to Washington than to your own home, criticizing those that are doing something good and go and help, ….

These are the fasts that lead to genuine transformation and bring us closer to the likeness of Christ.

In 2025, our world is filled with distractions and temptations that can easily lead us astray. Yet, it is also a world ripe with opportunities to live out our faith in meaningful ways. As we embark on this Lenten journey, let us commit to a fast that goes beyond the surface. Let us seek to grow in love, compassion, and service to others. I invite you to participate in our Wednesday dinners and lenten program, or Sundays at 9:15 AM gathering (two different topics)

May this season of Lent be a time of true spiritual renewal for each of us. As we grow up in Christ, may we become more fully the people God has called us to be, shining His light in a world that so desperately needs it.

Amen.