A Bonus Ash Wednesday Message for February 18th
(Joel 2:12-13)
The Heart of Repentance
Ash Wednesday Message
Text: Joel 2:12–13 (NRSV)
“Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.”
Introduction: Understanding True Repentance
Ash Wednesday confronts us with uncomfortable but necessary truths. We come forward tonight to receive ashes on our foreheads—ashes that quietly preach a sermon of their own: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It is a humbling moment, one that strips away our illusions of permanence, strength, and self-sufficiency.
Yet Ash Wednesday is not meant to be morbid. It is meant to be honest. It calls us to look not merely at our mortality, but at our hearts.
We all know the difference between a shallow apology and a sincere one. A shallow apology says, “I’m sorry you feel that way,” or “I’m sorry this happened,” without ever owning responsibility. A sincere apology says, “I was wrong. I hurt you. Please forgive me.” One is about appearances; the other is about transformation.
The prophet Joel addresses a people who were very good at outward religious actions. They knew how to fast. They knew how to weep. They knew how to tear their garments in grief. But God, through Joel, makes a startling demand: “Rend your hearts and not your clothing.” God is not interested in religious theater. He is calling for inward change.
Ash Wednesday marks the doorway into Lent, a season of repentance, reflection, and renewal. And repentance—true repentance—is not about how we look before others. It is about how we stand before God. Joel’s words remind us that repentance is not something we perform; it is something we become.
I. The Call to Return
Joel begins with words filled with both urgency and hope:
“Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” (Joel 2:12, NRSV)
The phrase “even now” is one of the most gracious phrases in all of Scripture. It assumes failure. It assumes wandering. It assumes sin. And yet, even now—after judgment has been announced, after consequences loom—God still invites His people to return.
Repentance always begins with God’s initiative. We do not repent our way back into God’s favor; we respond to a God who is already calling us home.
The image here is unmistakable: a parent standing at the door, waiting for a wayward child. No crossed arms. No list of demands. Just an open invitation: “Come home.” God does not say, “Fix yourself and then return.” He says, “Return to me with all your heart.”
Notice that God does not ask for half-hearted repentance. He does not ask for polite regret. He calls for a full-hearted return. Repentance is not merely turning away from sin; it is turning toward God.
Ash Wednesday asks us a simple but searching question: Have we drifted? Not just in behavior, but in affection. Not just in actions, but in devotion. God’s call is clear and compassionate: Return.
II. The Difference Between Outward Ritual and Inward Change
Joel continues with one of the most piercing commands in the Old Testament:
“Rend your hearts and not your clothing.” (Joel 2:13a, NRSV)
In the ancient world, tearing one’s garments was a public sign of grief or repentance. It was visible. It was dramatic. It was unmistakable. But it was also temporary. Clothes could be replaced. Hearts are harder to mend.
God is not condemning outward practices—fasting, mourning, and ritual have their place. What He condemns is substitution. Outward ritual must never replace inward repentance.
It is like repairing the exterior of a house while ignoring a crumbling foundation. You can paint the walls, replace the windows, and landscape the yard, but if the beams are rotten, the house will eventually collapse. God is not interested in cosmetic spirituality. He wants structural change.
Ash Wednesday rituals can be meaningful, but they can also become routine. We can receive ashes, bow our heads, and still leave unchanged. God’s word presses deeper: Are we rending our hearts, or merely observing a season?
Repentance is not about feeling bad for a moment; it is about allowing God to break what needs to be broken and heal what needs to be healed. It is personal. It is honest. It is costly. And it is necessary.
III. The Character of God That Inspires Repentance
Joel grounds the call to repentance not in fear, but in the character of God:
“Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” (Joel 2:13b, NRSV)
This is crucial. Repentance flows not from terror, but from trust. We dare to repent because of who God is.
God is gracious—He gives what we do not deserve.
God is merciful—He withholds what we do deserve.
God is slow to anger—He is patient with our failures.
God is abounding in steadfast love—His covenant faithfulness does not run out.
Jesus illustrates this truth perfectly in the parable of the prodigal son. The son returns home rehearsing his apology, expecting rejection or, at best, reluctant tolerance. Instead, the father runs to him, embraces him, and restores him fully.
That is the heart of God. Repentance is not walking toward an angry judge with clenched fists. It is walking toward a loving Father with open arms.
Ash Wednesday reminds us that God does not delight in our guilt. He delights in our return.
IV. The Transformation of a Repentant Heart
The apostle Paul describes the outcome of true repentance this way:
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10, NRSV)
Worldly sorrow is remorse without change. It feels bad but leads nowhere. Godly sorrow leads to repentance—and repentance leads to life.
Repentance is not about staying sick; it is about being healed. It is like a patient finally accepting treatment. The process may be uncomfortable, but the result is restoration.
True repentance produces freedom. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from shame. Freedom from the endless cycle of sin and regret. It leads us not into despair, but into renewal.
Ash Wednesday is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of a journey—a journey that leads through the cross and out the other side into resurrection.
Closing: Responding to God’s Call to Repentance
Tonight, God’s invitation stands before us.
For those who have never trusted Christ: Return. God’s grace is sufficient. His mercy is real. His arms are open.
For believers: Return again. Lent is not about perfection; it is about direction. It is about allowing God to search us, cleanse us, and renew us.
In the days ahead, take time for prayer and reflection. Ask God to reveal what needs to be surrendered. Invite Him to create a clean heart within you.
Repentance is not about looking backward in shame. It is about turning forward in hope. As we receive the ashes tonight, may they mark not just our foreheads, but our hearts.
“Return to the LORD your God.”
Even now.