Ashes

What if instead of a priest giving us all ashes, we gave them to each other?
What if we shared them as paritioners one to another?
What if we were given our ashes by the people closest to us? By the oldest or youngest in our family?
What if we were to impose ashes on those closest to us?
What if we shared the ashes as neighbors or friends?
What if ashes were shared among strangers on the bus?

We are all dust and to dust we shall return.

Do You Hate Lent?

Are you familiar with the perspective of church as a judgemental, condemning place where one is coerced into submission to perscribed beliefs and obligations (or guilt for not submitting)?

In contrast, this year as Lent starts I'm thinking about faith and church as providing a safe place to admit struggles, sins and shortcomings. The degree to which that ideal is realized of course varies. But I think the degree to which I'm able to make those admissions is largely based in my faith. And I think I need to let my faith help me make more of those admissions.

It's not about condemnation or self abasement. It's not about taking on undue guilt of one form or the other. It's not about an emphasis on the negative.

It's about being able to stop being defensive. It's about being able to be honest. It's about being able to let go. It's about the liberation and life that can enter oneself and one's relationships when we're able to admit our role in problems and conflicts instead of building up walls of defense from which we throw grenades of blame.

It becomes about living the liturgy in daily life.

• What if I asked my spouse to remind me through Lent that we are dust and to dust we will return?
• What if in the midst of an arguement I set aside blaming the other (even if they are to blame for something) and admitted my role in the problem?
• What if we regularly exhanged peace at home?
• What if we understood our dinner table as a place to seek and identify with Jesus, the meanings of his life, death, resurrection and the Spirit in and surrounding us?
• Would we go in peace to love and serve? By the time Easter comes, would we find ourselves rejoicing in the power of the Spirit?

Stations of the Cross

Over the last few weeks I've been at church outside of Sunday mornings more often than usual. I'm amazed at the amount and variety of things that go on at church during these times. I often get to have a conversation with someone that I don't get much chance to talk with on Sunday morning.

I also have had opportunity to enjoy things in the church building itself that I wouldn't usually have the time or opportunity for, for example, the Stations of the Cross. Last year a new set of stations were installed. They're water color paintings by an artist who is part of the church. As good and relevant as the text often used for of the stations at Gethsemane is, trying to engage with the text and moving politely within a cluster of people going from station to staion didn't facilitate appreciating the paintings very well for me. Over the past few weeks I've walked around and just looked at them by myself a couple times. I think they're wonderful. I'd encourge you to take the time to just quietly take them in.