This past week, we celebrated Ash Wednesday and kicked off the season of Lent in Youth Group. “Celebrated” is actually a deceptive description, because the night was not exactly joyful. Ash Wednesday is a time that the church has traditionally set aside to grieve our sins and recognize our need for a Savior. It marks the beginning of Lent which is a time of preparation and introspection leading up to Easter. Lent emphasizes the themes of dying to self and being raised with Christ. I encouraged the students to recognize something in their life that is an interference in their relationship with God and then challenged them to abstain from it during the entire season of Lent. In its place, I encouraged them to think of something that would facilitate their relationship with God. For example, one student decided to give up Facebook (a huge sacrifice indeed!), and committed to spend that time reading the Bible instead.
Although giving up something for Lent is admirable, God is not impressed. I stressed to the students that accomplishing a fast from something during Lent will not cause God to think that you are an amazing Christian. On the contrary, even our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). The act of giving something up is not to earn God’s favor, it is simply to become more dependent on Him for everything.
The students who attended the service on Wednesday night were given a letter from me to take home. If your student was not able to attend or you didn’t receive the letter, click here for a copy.

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