Growing up in the Catholic church, Ash Wednesday was always a very solemn time. The first day of Lent is a time when we focus on our sins, our brokenness. We come before the Lord with humble and contrite hearts.
I always go to worship on Ash Wednesday, and I always try to spend time in prayer and confession before God.
But tonight I had a different experience.
Tonight as I, for the second year in a row, was the one imposing the ashes on the heads of parishoners (and even my head pastor), I had a very different experience. I could not stop smiling.
My clergy friends will most likely understand this.
It is such a great privilege to be the one to say "from dust you came and to dust you shall return", knowing that there is so much more than that. While we remember our sins on Ash Wednesday, we also remember that they are indeed forgiven. And it is that grace, that forgiveness which caused my grin tonight.
You see, with each new person that came forward, I could see their burdens lightened. I could feel their pain being washed away. I could see their sins going up in smoke (literally - we, like many churches, write our sins on paper and burn them before receiving ashes and communion). And with each new sign of the cross made on a forehead, I could feel God's love welling up in our little church and in our community. And because of the joy on the face of those who came tonight because they wanted desperately to receive ashes and they saw our sign, and our light on... well, all I can do is thank Jesus.
.JPG)
I may feel called to act with Justice, but tonight... tonight I just walked humbly with my God. Thank you Jesus.
I always go to worship on Ash Wednesday, and I always try to spend time in prayer and confession before God.
But tonight I had a different experience.
Tonight as I, for the second year in a row, was the one imposing the ashes on the heads of parishoners (and even my head pastor), I had a very different experience. I could not stop smiling.
My clergy friends will most likely understand this.
It is such a great privilege to be the one to say "from dust you came and to dust you shall return", knowing that there is so much more than that. While we remember our sins on Ash Wednesday, we also remember that they are indeed forgiven. And it is that grace, that forgiveness which caused my grin tonight.
You see, with each new person that came forward, I could see their burdens lightened. I could feel their pain being washed away. I could see their sins going up in smoke (literally - we, like many churches, write our sins on paper and burn them before receiving ashes and communion). And with each new sign of the cross made on a forehead, I could feel God's love welling up in our little church and in our community. And because of the joy on the face of those who came tonight because they wanted desperately to receive ashes and they saw our sign, and our light on... well, all I can do is thank Jesus.
.JPG)
I may feel called to act with Justice, but tonight... tonight I just walked humbly with my God. Thank you Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment