Ash Wednesday 2013

Today marks Ash Wednesday in the Year of our Lord, 2013.
For liturgical Christians, and you know who you are, it is the beginning of the 40 days of Lent, the season of the church year of walking with Jesus Christ as he eventually rides in triumph on a donkey in to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, only to be betrayed by Judas Iscariot, crucified on a tree on Good Friday, and on the third day rose again and now sitteth at the right hand of the Father on Resurrection or Easter Sunday.
The Anglican/Episcopal service of Ash Wednesday is very moving and reflective indeed.
When the ashes are imposed on the forehead, as you see in the photo of your humble blogger above, the following words of imposition are said:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

It really hits it right on the head. That we are but born and die. And when we die, we go back into the womb, so to speak. We are buried in the ground, for the most part. Many look to cremation, the ultimate of being dust. Some are laid to rest in a wall. That is what I wanted until I realized, that will be way too much money.
At the end of it all, we are but mere mortals.
But if you go further to the link of the Book of Common Prayer, 1979, the Litany of Penitence is, well it really hits home for me in many ways.
Here are some of the prayers that strike a chord in my heart:

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the
pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those
more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to
commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.


Tell me now, has not one of these things you have done? Whether or not you are a believer, you have at one time or another been unfaithful, prideful, vainglorious, a hypocrite and impatient. And yes, we have all had those moments in which we are jealous of those who have more than us. Or so we perceive. And even the most faithful of us often forget who to give all the glory to and that is God.
It is why we Christians need this day, this day of Ash Wednesday. To remind us of our shortcomings. To remind us that there is the hope of repentance. And most of all, that we are mortals. That we are born and we will die.
Remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.

Lent Is Around The Corner

Tomorrow is the celebration of Shrove Tuesday in the Christian world.
OK, not all Christians celebrate it. Mostly those who are in liturgical churches, Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Protestant.
I am still, some days barely, a member of the Episcopal Church and we are a liturgical church.
The point of Shrove Tuesday is to get rid of the items that make for good and rich food.
And the purpose of that?
To begin the season known as Lent.
Lent is the 46 day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter Eve or The Great Vigil of Easter. And here is how Anglicans/Episcopalians celebrate The Great Vigil.
Whenever I bring up the subject of Lent, my American Baptist friend gives a brush off. He is amazed that his own church has been taking up the discipline the last several years. He would consider it too Roman Catholic.
While he is correct, as noted in the link, many non-liturgical churches are beginning this discipline. And it is a good thing.
For many, particularly Roman Catholics, it is all about "What are you giving up for Lent?" And mostly it is mundane stuff. Yeah, I never have heard one yet say they were giving up sex. Or maybe cutting back on the adult beverage. Or not going to the movies. A sporting event. A concert. You get the picture. As I said it is something usually mundane.
However, what I find Lent can be about is what are you going to do for Lent? Not focusing on a sacrifice, but of restoring one or more Christian disciplines.
Some people suggest they will read and study the Holy Bible more. Now most Roman Catholics do little if any true bible study. That is something rather unique to the Protestant world. And Protestant liturgical churches promote that as a discipline.
Traditionally, Lent was the period of preparation for a candidate to receive Holy Baptism and Confirmation as a full member of the church. It is still followed today, but at least in the Protestant tradition not with the strictness of the days of yore.
But it is a time of great expectation and immense sadness. After all it culminates not with the triumphal ride of Jesus Christ into the gates of the Holy city of Jerusalem. But it culminates with the crufifiction of Jesus on Mount Calvary.
But that is the bad part.
Of course there is the breaking of the stone and Jesus rising on the third day and taking his seat at the right hand of the Father.
But what are you doing for Lent? Is it giving up something and showing off about it? Or is it committing yourself to something like a disciplined time for intense prayer?
For me, I will commit myself to following reading the Holy Bible, King James Version of course, on a daily basis. I will try to follow the calendar of readings set forth by the church.
Remember, Lent is around the corner. It is the time to get closer to God.