Death • Day 1 • Walking the Ancient Path

February 18th, 2026

Death • Week 1, Day 1: Ash Wednesday (Feb. 18)

“Teach us to number our days, that we might live with wisdom of heart.”
~ Psalm 90:12

All lives end. Your life will end. And let’s be clear and honest: you don’t know when. We in our culture are pretty good at pushing that fact to the margins – indeed, maybe we’re professionals at it. According to Scripture, in doing this we’re fools.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, where we’re marked with ashes and reminded we will return to the earth. So will your parents, spouse, children, and friends. We are reminded that we are powerless and not in control.

We don’t remember our death because church tradition doesn’t want us to have fun. We do it because it’s actually good for us to do. As the Psalmist says, we do it so that we might have “wisdom of heart.” Wisdom is not being smart or knowing more things about God. It is life tuned to the voice of Jesus. Wisdom of “heart” is being tuned to Jesus at the center of our being, so that we don’t even have to stop and think about it. Remembering we will die leads to this sort of life.

The illusion that we in our American comfort are in charge of even one second of our lives often leads to boastfulness, false self-sufficiency, and disappointment. When we forget to remember our death, it becomes very easy to also forget that all of our human striving is temporary. We can put a lot of time and energy into what will ultimately be forgotten if we don’t remember death. And we can waste a lot of time ignoring what matters, by chasing what’s fleeting. We lose touch with Jesus’ wisdom.

When we remember our death honestly, it forces us to either cling more tightly to what we will ultimately lose, or to open our hands to receive what God gives, recognizing it is all a gift. Recognizing we are mortal and everything is a gift clears the road for right living.
Remembering our mortality frees us to live! We shave away all of our pretense and pretending. There’s no time for that. Life is too short.

Remembering our death humbles us also. We will die like our neighbor. Maybe before they will. We don’t know. We have no business acting like we’re more significant than someone else in the face of death. It’s a losing game. It becomes silly to chase the things this world chases. All that matters is to give thanks for this day, this moment, and to seek God’s kingdom because that’s the only thing that will last.

FOR REFLECTION

Read Matthew 6:19-34 and Psalm 90.
Imagine today or tomorrow is your last day of life. How will you act toward those you love? How might your attitude change? What will matter to you most? What things will become superficial pursuits? Bring that into your life today and act on it.
How does remembering your mortality give you freedom from trying to act like you’re in charge of your life? How can remembering death help you hand over the control to the God who made you?
For those with kids: Ask what it means to remember that everyone will die. Ask what is really important in life because this is true. Remind kids that Jesus gives us the promise of life after this life, but also that because we will one day die, how we spend our time is precious.

PRAYER

God of mercy, we are mortal. We live in dying bodies, and one day we will no longer be here. But you are the God of life. By your Spirit, open our eyes to live with wisdom, so that we might identify with your Son, Jesus, and live with the hope of life. Amen.

Posted in Articles, Lent 2026

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