Ash Wednesday Readings

Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, a season of prayer, fasting, and repentance. Below are links to the five lectionary readings for Ash Wednesday along with supplemental devotions and articles from various Common English Bibles for your personal devotion or group study. To hear these verses read aloud, subscribe to our podcast This Week’s Lectionary With the CEB. Read Joel 2:1-2, 12-17.  Mourning Customs The Israelites, following customs from the ancient world, employed ritual forms to display their sorrow over pain and suffering, death, their return to the Lord concerning sin, or their horror at blasphemy. These ritual acts included fasting, tearing clothes, wearing rough goat hair garments, sprinkling dirt or ashes upon their heads, shaving or pulling out hair and beards, and chanting laments. For examples, see Job 1:20; Esther 4:1-3; Jonah 3:1-9; 2 Samuel 1:2; Ezra 9:3. This short article is from The CEB Study Bible. Find out more about The CEB Study Bible, which has hundreds of similar articles, thousands of notes, and other resources such as book introductions, in-depth articles, maps, and images to better understand the Bible. Or read Isaiah 58:1-12. This article is from The CEB Women's Bible. Find out more about The CEB Women’s Bible, which has articles, in-text reflections, and other notes from the perspective of marginalized readers. Read Psalm 51:1-17. In this most beloved of the “Penitential Psalms,” the psalmist captures all of the dimensions of the sinner’s true repentance: a thorough acknowledgement of one’s guilt, the reasonableness of the punishment deserved, but at the same time a heartfelt hope in the mercy of God, a concrete vision of a new life of grace in communion with others, and the firm desire to embrace that life as an undeserved but welcome gift. Reflect: It is better to be a saved sinner than an insecure defender of my own righteousness. Pray: Lord, with a clear vision of my broken self, I rely on your mercy and accept the gift of the new life that you offer me. Act: I will acknowledge the ways in which I am still struggling with God. This piece is from The CEB Lectio Divina Prayer Bible. Find out more about The CEB Lectio Divina Prayer Bible, where every chapter of the Bible has the sorts of reflections you just read. Read 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10.       Paul Shares the Good News Paul faced many different reactions when he shared the good news. Sometimes people decided to follow Jesus. Other times people tried to hurt Paul because they were so angry about God’s truth. Paul said he always told the truth about God’s amazing plan. Not only did Paul share the good news, he was careful to live like God wanted. Other people notice when we follow God’s will. God’s power gives us the strength to do what God wants us to do even when it’s difficult.  This short article is from The CEB Navigation Bible. Find out more about The CEB Navigation Bible, which has a variety of articles, devotions, and other facts for people new to reading the Bible. Read Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21.  Matthew gathers many of the teachings of Jesus into one long sermon. Pay attention in this long section to the many brief teachings that could be expanded, teachings that have to do with various aspects of daily life. Reflect: How can one live without being anxious about the needs of life? Judging others comes easy. How and when should one person correct another?  Pray: Life is complicated. People are complicated. Pray for understanding and patience in accepting both life and others, especially those who are close to you and who at times may cause you problems. Act: Pay attention to the golden rule. It is not only a religious guide but also one that fits every situation in life, whether overtly religious or not.  This piece is from The CEB Lectio Divina Prayer Bible. Find out more about The CEB Lectio Divina Prayer Bible, where every chapter of the Bible has the sorts of reflections you just read.