1. Unprompted, without any warning, for no reason at all, without any instigation say, "I love you." And that will wash over your parents like a beautiful absolution.
  2. This is the message of Lent. We are not called to sacrifice for Jesus in order to earn our salvation. Rather, we are called to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
  3. As disciples of Jesus, our righteousness cannot be performed before others, because our righteousness was already performed by Jesus.
  4. Even if the numbers are bad, the news about Jesus crucified for sinners and raised to new life hasn’t become any less good.
  5. Ash Wednesday's purpose is not to motivate our resolve to redouble our efforts to do better.
  6. The earliest followers of God sang their faith, which is no different today as we sing of the hope we have in Jesus.
  7. The sign of the cross, according to the earliest centuries of Christians, is “the sign of the Lord,” and every baptized Christian was “marked” with it.
  8. Repentance is meaningless unless we are willing to acknowledge who we are: sinners needing mercy.
  9. It is terribly easy to set up our theology as a buffer against the real coming of the Lord and its consequences.
  10. When and how did the church start this season of anticipation?