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In the Spring when the weather turns warm and flowers pop through the ground and trees begin to blossom, all of creation seems to become renewed after a long cold Winter.  The trees in this picture were no exception. 

This year (2024) Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day.  Do you like sharing a birthday with a holiday or someone else’s special day?  I know some people whose birthdays are on or within a couple days of Christmas and wish it was on another date.  Or maybe there’s been a sad association with a date, like I had many years ago, coming home from celebrating a wedding of a relative only to find out that another relative had departed to Heaven on the same day. 

As I think about Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, they at first seem to be opposites. 

  • Ashes are black and Valentines are red.  How ironic, though, because the (red) blood of Jesus washes away the (black) sin in our hearts. 
  • Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent which begins bringing our thoughts to the cross and Easter.  Valentine’s Day sends our thoughts to the love of a special person in our lives.   Who is more special, loving, and kind than Jesus?!
  • Some people think of Lent as a time to give something up but on Valentine’s Day we find ourselves giving to others.  Jesus’ love for us made Him willing to give up His life for us.
  • Ash Wednesday has a dark connotation to it as we think about the beginning of Lent and its end result in the death of Jesus.  Valentine’s Day has a bright and cheery aspect to it as love is shared which is like the bookend for the other end of Lent when Jesus’ blood brings victorious resurrection over eternal death on Easter.

Rather than opposites, they are a perfect fit for each other.  Without Jesus’ blood, our hearts would remain stained black with sin.  Take time to reflect on these opposites and let me know in the comments if you think of any other opposites between Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day.  After all, the saying goes that opposites attract, so why wouldn’t we find good things about both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day sharing the same day of the year?! If you missed my series on Lent in 2023, start with this one and follow through until Easter.  I will not be posting any new daily Lent thoughts this year.  Lent can be the perfect time for renewal, so review old posts, your journals, notes from sermons, devotionals from previous years, or start a new series.  God can use any or all of these to renew your spirit.

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
Ephesians 4:22-24, NLT

Lord, renew me in body, mind, and spirit.  Where the cold of Winter, the black of sin, and the dreariness of long days have worn on so many people, may You replace it with the fresh renewing spirit of Spring, of Your Holy Spirit, Your love, and the hope of Heaven for those who believe in and accept You into their lives.  In Your precious Name, Amen.