by Linda Veath
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men… ~ 1 Timothy 2:1 KJV
Treasury of Daily Prayer is a beautiful book of worship and prayer. As I thumbed through it one day, I found an article that sounded interesting. Have you ever read about the Ember Days of Easter? Well ……. here we go.
The Ember Days are four special days, one for each quarter of the calendar — Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Each represents a different day, season and way of celebrating and worshiping our Savior, Jesus Christ. While I haven’t done something like that, many Christian churches do celebrate the Ember Days through prayers, repentance and fasting, as a way of acknowledging that all we have comes from Him.
There is nothing more important to the Christian faith than prayer. St. Paul writes in his letter to First Timothy 2:1 that “prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people.” Our prayer life takes root through reading the inspired Word of God. It is the Word of the Lord that opens up our praise and instructs us in our thanksgivings.
The first Ember Days of 2021 take place on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday after Ash Wednesday, or February 24, 26 and 27. During these three days we are to celebrate the gift of light and new life. What a beautiful thing to celebrate this time of year. Our new life through Christ because of His sacrifice on the cross.
May we join together in praise for Him, pray for each other and teach our children about the Ember Days of Easter. May we rejoice in Christ, whose grace and mercy will keep us to the end.