I've always found minor-league baseball games to be a fun and inexpensive alternative to the big leagues. One of the teams' games I used to attend somewhat regularly had all kinds of fun stuff going on between innings and for a couple of dollars you got lots of giveaways and entertainment, not to mention watching some great professional baseball played by many future Major league stars. One giveaway I always remembered was they would read off a license plate number of the car in the parking lot that was deemed the "dirtiest" and that car won a free car wash! I always wanted to win that but I guess someone always had a dirty car than I.
Today is Ash Wednesday and tonight I will join fellow members of my congregation and the body of Christ as a whole church in approaching the alter, kneeling (or bowing my head) in humble repentant submission and get marked with ash. It serves as a personal reminder to me that I am in need of a wash, but as I sit in my pew, I won't be able to see my ash marking, only those on the foreheads of those worshipping around me. It's always easy to see those around me as the sinner and not myself, but when I look in the mirror, I am just as dirty.
No, I never won the carwash at the baseball game, there was always someone with a dirtier car. Tonight though, I'll be reminded that we are all dirty and in need of a wash. We all must repent and humble ourselves. We also all have already won the free wash! The cleansing and washing away of our sins that came with Jesus' death upon the cross that we didn't earn but that was offered to us as a gift of saving grace. I hope to see you there tonight
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