Day 18 of Lent: March 25, 2025

Scripture: Matthew 6:19–21

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Reflection

From ashes we came, and to ashes we shall return.

Lent reminds us of this sobering truth—that everything in this life is fleeting. The treasures we chase on earth, no matter how shiny or secure they seem, are all destined to fade. Moth and rust. Dust and decay. Loss and theft. These are the threats to the earthly things we cling to. They are not evil in and of themselves, but they were never meant to last.

Jesus, in His wisdom, calls us to loosen our grip on the temporary so we can lay hold of what is eternal.

This season is not just about giving things up—it’s about giving ourselves over. Over to God’s greater purpose. Over to Christ’s call to love. Over to a kingdom not made by human hands. Because of Easter, we know the tomb does not have the final word. Because of Christ, our lives are not bound to the dust—they are destined for glory.

The alleluia that awaits us is not found in gold or status or comfort. It is found in the empty grave. It is found in the eternal treasure of grace, mercy, and the relentless love of God. The ashes that mark us on our Lenten journey are reminders of our mortality. But they are not the end of the story.

Our hearts long for something more because we were made for something more. The treasures we store in heaven—acts of compassion, moments of forgiveness, lives of sacrificial love—these do not rust or fade. They echo into eternity.

So we journey from ashes to alleluia, from sorrow to joy, from the dust of death to the dawn of resurrection. Easter is coming, and with it the promise that the things of this world will pass away, but the joy of God’s kingdom will never end.

Prayer

God of eternal treasure,

Teach us to set our hearts not on the things that fade,

but on the riches of your kingdom.

In this Lenten season, help us release what binds us to the dust

and fix our eyes on the joy that is coming.

Because of Jesus, we trust that death is not the end—

and alleluia will rise from the ashes.

Amen.