Devotion by: Pastor Scott McAnally
The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
‘The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.’
These are words that echo in our ears, words that literally remind us who we are…we are finite, not infinite. 
We gather for worship this day and see black. We gather to hear God’s word and confess our sins…and the liturgy leaves us with just confession…no absolution…that won’t come for six weeks.
Yet we hear these words of the Psalmist today… ‘The Lord is my strength and my might, the Lord has become my salvation.’ In the midst of blackness, in the midst of ashes being smudged on our foreheads, in the midst of our finitude, we hear words of the infinite grace, love, and mercy of God. Death does not have the last say, and neither does sin. And so we leave today on a journey…not just towards
We journey this Lent with Turning Silver into Gold. We will learn some new things this Lent. As we ponder Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross, we are asked to ponder what sacrifices we can make as we strive to Connect the World with God’s Grace. We will learn that even in the midst of sacrifice, in the midst of giving our lives to God, there is praise. Because as we give, as we trust in God’s ultimate promise…the ashes will be wiped away, life will conquer death, and silver will turned into gold. Thanks be to God!
PRAYER: God of grace and mercy, today we ponder our finitude. Yet as we confess our sins, we call on you, our strength and might to go with us this on this journey. Be with our congregation, be with your church, as we strive to proclaim life and salvation, your gifts to the world, for the world. Amen.
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