Presence

A week ago today was Ash Wednesday, 26 February 2020. Depending upon where and how you grew up, Ash Wednesday was an unknown reality, something weird Catholics did, or a meaningful spiritual experience that came around once a year.

I grew up in the context of Ash Wednesday as mostly an unknown experience, but my one Catholic classmate in high school did give up chocolate every year on Ash Wednesday. I don’t recall ever seeing her with ashes on her forehead on this particular day, but she was pretty vocal about the sacrifice of no chocolate until Easter.

While neither Ash Wednesday or Lent are, mentioned in Scripture, they are ancient Christian practices that most likely pre-date church buildings and the like, with which we seem to have no problem. The ideas behind the practice of Ash Wednesday and Lent are deeply embedded in Scripture. In a word, they are about repentance. I would argue that if you were forced to summarize Jesus’ teaching in one word, that one word might need to be repentance. I know Jesus said you could summarize the whole thing in two commandments: love God and love neighbor. But I’m not sure I can hear Jesus say that if first, in the presence the one in whom “all the Fullness was glad to dwell” (Col. 1:19, Kingdom New Testament) I am not struck by my need to repent.

After all, the first words Mark has Jesus saying are “’The time is fulfilled!’ he said; ‘God’s kingdom is arriving! Turn back, and believe the good news.’” (Mark 1:15, Kingdom NT). “Turn back” is a more literal translation of “repent” in this translation.

One of my roles at Point University is to oversee spiritual formation activities. A team of students who work with me helped plan an Ash Wednesday service as we do every year. We had a self-directed service in the courtyard of the Lanier Academic Center. Students, faculty, and staff could come anytime between 11:30 and 12:30 that day. Here’s how it looked.

Scriptures were written on large poster board displays. They include words from God from Matthew 6, Psalm 51, and Isaiah 58. These scriptures were arranged in four different sections. They were given an opportunity to write something down on a note and tape it to a cross we have used in a variety of ways on campus – it isn’t a pretty, shiny kind of cross, but made of old rusty iron and dry, faded wood. They could have ashes placed on their foreheads and were offered the body and blood of Christ in holy communion.

Students from my theology class and from my spiritual formation team served in a variety of ways during this hour-long event. I was privileged to participate at the beginning of the service and then just observe and occasionally help a student, faculty member, of staff member know where the next stop on the journey was.

The most important observation I have about that day is that when you combine creation (we were outdoors), Scripture (we read lots), quietness (I was amazed at how ‘quiet’ it all was without a word from anyone), and ashes (from dust we have come and to dust we shall return) the presence of God can’t be missed! Tom Wright may be on to something when he regularly talks about space, time, and matter!

But that idea is not new. Psalm 19 reminds of that in powerful ways. “The heavens are recounting God’s splendour, the sky is telling of what his hands made.” (19:1, The First Testament)  “Yahweh’s instruction has integrity, bringing life back.” (19:7, The First Testament) “Yes your servant take warning through them, and in keeping them there are great results.” (19:11, The First Testament)

That great psalm ends with what should be the hope of every human alive, “May the sayings of my mouth be acceptable to you, and the murmur of my mind before you, Yahweh, my crag and my restorer.” (19:14, The First Testament)

One student asked me if it was okay to write on the little note card to be taped to the cross that he wanted to give up his “foul mouth.” Of course it was okay! It made the day worth any effort extended.

No matter your faith tradition about Ash Wednesday or Lent – it is hard to think that anything we do that moves us toward the sayings of our mouths and the murmurings of our hearts becoming acceptable to God is anything but a good thing.

We’re only a week into the season of Lent. It isn’t too late to start a journey where space, time, and matter work together in the quietness of the presence of God to bring us closer to Him.