Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday does not lend itself to a frivilous spirit.  Maybe the night before is all about pancakes and laughter and fellowship around the table, but there is nothing about the moment of the ashes which brings a smile.  I used to wonder why people would go to a service so unlike any other offered by the church.  Ash Wednesday provides a word which speaks of mortality and death.  It speaks a word which tells us that all our trivial pursuits are trivial pursuits.   

And it is one thing to hear those word, "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return," one time as is the case with each one who comes for the imposition of the ashes and it is another thing to officiate at such a service and say those words a hundred times or more to a hundred or more people.  Some of them are near death and will not likely make it to another moment of the ashes.  Some are young with hopes for a thousand years.  And some bring babies in their arms and hold up the child to receive the ashes and the words.  It is not a frivilous moment.  It is a somber moment.    

It is also a sacred moment.  It is a moment when the church speaks a word no one else dare speak.  It is a moment when the church gives a visible reminder to us all that life is fragile, short, and not to be taken for granted.  And the good thing about the message being given on Ash Wednesday is that it is given in the context of Resurrection Sunday.  On Ash Wednesday we hear the Word which tells us we are going to die, but to look ahead is to see Easter Sunday on the horizon with its message telling us that because He (Jesus) lives, we shall live also.  I need to hear both reminders.  Maybe others do as well.