Discussion Questions for Ash Wednesday



  1. Turn to Psalm 51 when in trouble. Was there a time you begged for God’s forgiveness and a clean heart?
  2. How is the Ash Wednesday Gospel message more about our motives than our actions? (Matt 6:1-6, 16-21)
  3. What do we learn about the character of God from Joel 2:12-13? How can you return to/reboot your relationship with God?

How to Use these Questions

These questions are intended to stimulate conversation on the Revised Common Lectionary texts for the coming week. They are designed to be accessible to individuals and groups (and not limited to preachers) who are reading the lectionary texts in advance of worship.

Working Preacher's Reflect & Connect questions may also prepare the soil for preachers and their listeners. Congregations or preachers may choose to send out a question (or questions) via email or social media -- each question is short enough to tweet.

If you do share the questions online, please use the hashtag #WorkingPreacher and link back to the site (http://www.workingpreacher.org/). No further permissions are required to use this content.

If you have specific suggestions, general comments or words of encouragement related to Working Preacher's Reflect & Connect discussion questions, please let us know via email at cbp@luthersem.edu. Thanks for participating, and for sharing these questions with your colleagues and members of your congregation!