ASH WEDNESDAY

February 17

Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from God in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and God who sees in secret will reward you.

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to God who is in secret; and God who sees in secret will reward you.

And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by God who is in secret; and God who sees in secret will reward you. 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 -- by Anne Peterson

A year ago, on Palm Sunday, we waved fronds from palms during the procession, as a reminder of the cheering crowd that hailed Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. In a poetic system of recycling, those palms have been burned and have become the ashes of Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, historically a six-week period of preparation for new members who would be baptized into the Christian community on Easter Eve. The ashes are imposed on our foreheads during the Ash Wednesday service, as a symbol of our mortality. “From dust you came, and to dust you shall return,” are the words said as the sign of the cross is made on our foreheads. This powerful symbol serves as a wake-up call, a reminder that life is short, and that one should live it thoughtfully.

The introspective tone of Lent is modeled on Jesus’ fasting in the desert—the 40 days in the wilderness where he was tempted by the forces of the world, a period of preparation for the beginning of his ministry. There is a wonderful freedom in this structure of Lent, a sense of permission to change the hectic rhythms of life-as-it-is-usually lived and retreat in some small way.

Over the years I have marked this season by giving something up or taking something on. I have set the alarm earlier in order to be silent for a period each morning, noting in a journal what comes to me. And often, as with this year, I have worked through what is going on in my soul in a small group. This year, my focus is my relationship with God using Marcus Borg’s book, The God We Never Knew. Each year I have asked, where am I blocked in my spirit? What is weighing me down? This year the answer to that is, my garage. The very act of putting this into print makes me vibrate with anxiety. I am not good at sorting, tossing, and organizing. And it is not the contemplative, inner work I associate with Lent.

This may be the most difficult Lent I have ever spent.

The fact I will keep track of my progress in community, in my small group, gives me hope. I promise not to ask them to physically help me work in my garage. But I know I cannot be a person of faith alone and that my small group will help me to focus and get a grip!

During the Week

Identify your “garage” and bring it to God in silence and to your community aloud.