Ashes...

February 14 is Ash Wednesday. While we Protestant Christians have embraced the "ashes" thing more during my lifetime, I wonder what we think is going on when we "get the ashes" imposed? In the Hebrew Bible, sackcloth and ashes were an outward and visible of an inward and sinful life or action. When one of the prophets donned the "S & A," it was a symbolic gesture for all to see that Israel had thumbed their nose at God again, and some kind of retribution was on its way. So, as a sign of our own sin, and our desire to confess and repent of same, we get a little smudge of ash on our forehead or the back of our hand. We like to focus on the repentance part of this little spiritual drama.

The word we translate "repentance" is the Greek word, metanoia, which can be translated "change of mind." Now, we should not think of this as "changing my mind" like we have just decided to get the chicken instead of the fish--this "change of mind" means making a conscious decision to turn one's life in a different direction. We are saying to God, "I want to turn my life toward you, O Lord, and away from my self-guided ways." Someone has said repentance means "turning my life Godward." Interestingly, one of the most frequently used Hebrew Bible words for repentance also means "turning," or "returning," meaning returning to God's leading, guiding, and wisdom. I don't know about you, but if I only made this decision one day a year--Ash Wednesday, for instance--I'd be an even lousier Christian than I am, and would probably be as successful at "repenting" as I am with managing my sweets intake. For our act of repentance (changing the way our mind looks at life, God, and others) to truly take root, I'm guessing it should be addressed daily, kind of like medicine for hypertension or high cholesterol. There is a reason that people in Alcoholics Anonymous or some other 12-step program are urged to make frequent meetings--even daily at first: Part of fixing the problem is fixing your gaze upon your Higher Power and then using regular accountability of the meetings to modify one's behavior patterns. So then, does regular worship at church become sort of like our 12-step program? Maybe, although as United Methodist Christians, we believe in the transforming ability of Jesus and of the Spirit Jesus sent to us, so "going to meetings" is not our sole recourse (or maybe that should be "soul recourse?").

Back to the ashes. They are dirty. They get ground into our skin by the pastor or priest, and often feel very gritty. I know that it can take a few days to get my "imposing" thumb fully clean. Dirty is good. It reminds us that self-guided, "sinful" behavior can be bad for us and all of those around us. It also reminds us that our "corporate" or "sins of the society" can be very gritty for those victimized by them. Oppression, queuing, and the dominance of one class or group over another is filthy stuff, and it doesn't "clean up" easily. That smudge of ash on your forehead symbolizes much more than your personal "boo boos." Since we're all getting "imposed" as we share a time of confession, it also reminds us of the ugly things we have allowed to exist, and maybe even encouraged, in our society. May this "smudge" also be wiped clean as we work to see the Realm of God fully come into the world, and may we envision a place where all are equal, accepted, and respected, and none left behind. Maybe this year, with Ash Wednesday also falling on Valentine's Day, we can plant a little mental seed of loving our neighbor as an act of metanoia!

And, as our Lenten journey begins, may we not get all hung up on the negative stuff only--we are a post-resurrection community, and the healing, transforming, and empowering presence of God is in our midst and available to all. With this in mind, Lent is also a time of celebrating all of the parts of our faith that intersect with our friends from other faith traditions, and discovering new ways our common desire for justice and peace may be enjoined through shared work and understanding. May Lent not be just a time of turning "inward" and focusing solely on our United Methodist or Christian experience, but seeking ways to encounter the wider work of God in the world. May the ashes of Ash Wednesday also, therefore, remind us of the "dirty" work of building and creating, as well as fixing that which is broken.

Blessings, Yinz!