Welcome to We Wonder: Lent. Today is Ash Wednesday, and it is the beginning of the season that helps us get ready for Easter. Just as Israel wandered in the desert for forty years, and Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, we will spend the next forty days following Jesus toward the cross. Today, though, we begin by remembering that apart from Jesus, we are like fires that have gone out. Some of us will mark our foreheads with ashes as a reminder. Ash Wednesday gives us a time for sitting still, making ourselves quiet, and waiting on God to come and help us. And then we get ready to walk with Jesus all the way to the cross, because we hope to share in the new life he will bring on the other side. Join me, as we prepare to follow him this season. 📖 READ: Psalm 51 ❔WONDER: *I wonder if I have ever felt like a blown-out candle, or like cold ashes that can’t spark to life? What do I want to say to God about that?* *I wonder if God is still close to me when I feel far away? I wonder if I can trust that faithful love is always waiting for me?* *David says to God, “you will gladly accept a heart that is broken because of sadness over sin.” I wonder: what things do I see in myself and in the world that break my heart? Can I trust God to be kind to my sad heart?* *Lent happens in springtime: the earth that was frozen and dead blossoms into life again. Dry, helpless seeds are planted in the ground, and plants push up out of the ground. Jesus goes into the grave, and is raised to new life. It is a time of sadness for all that is wrong in us and in the world, and also of hope that it can all be made new. Can I ask God to come close to me in the sadness? Can I ask God’s Spirit to whisper words of hope to me in the dark?* 💌 Keep in touch! You can follow us on Instagram and Twitter @wewonderpod for updates throughout the season, or you can shoot me an email at [sarah@wewonderpod.com](mailto:sarah@wewonderpod.com) Thanks so much for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow!