Out of the Ashes

You may have noticed a theme in the 2013 Mission News. Over the past several months, we’ve been looking at the first three verses of Isaiah 61 and how the Holy Spirit fulfills these promises through this ministry: preaching good news to the poor, binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming freedom for the captives and comfort for those who mourn. This month, through Starla’s story, we see how God is bestowing “a crown of beauty instead of ashes.” In ancient times, people sprinkled ashes on their heads as a sign of mourning and repentance. Jeremiah called the Israelites to “gird on sackcloth and roll in the ashes” because disaster was coming. After God speaks to him out of the whirlwind, Job says, “I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Ashes were also used as a reminder of mortality, recalling the dust from which Adam was created and to which we all return.

In a physical sense, ashes are what’s left over after something has been consumed by fire. An item reduced to ashes is not just broken and in need of a little repair; it is destroyed. Bringing something back from the ashes takes a miracle.
For Starla, ashes looked like an orange jumpsuit, handcuffs and shackles. She was tempted to remain in those ashes because she believed that is what she deserved. But God says, It’s not about what you deserve. It’s not about what you’ve done. It’s about what I’ve done for you.

We do not need to live in the ash heap of our shame and regret. John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God says, I have seen and accepted your repentance; I will replace your crown of ashes with a crown of great beauty. Starla is now living a whole new life – purified from all that lies behind – and her beauty is evident as, with unveiled face, she reflects the glory of Christ who lives within her. So many of the men and women who come through our doors are living in the ash heap of shame and regret, believing that their sins are beyond forgiveness. Your partnership allows us to expose them to the grace of Jesus Christ who promises, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).