Dear Friends,
The season of Lent begins on Wednesday, March 6, a week from the publication of these words. Traditionally, the first day of Lent is called “Ash Wednesday” because for centuries Christians have marked the beginning of Lent by marking each other’s foreheads with ashes drawn in the sign of a cross. The ashes are meant to remind us of our humanity—that we are but dust and to dust we shall return—but “Lent”, the name of the season, also has meaning that is worth exploring.
“Lent” is a modern English word derived from the Old English word for springtime; the Old English word is rooted in the Germanic word for “lengthening,” because in the Springtime the days get longer.
This lengthening of days, to me, is a promise: someday soon it’s going to get warm. In the not-too-distant future we will be eating fresh tomatoes, harvested from our backyards. It won’t be long before children go back outside to play after dinner, because there will still be plenty of light before bedtime. Spiritually, we articulate this truth by remembering that it won’t be long before the mortality of Ash Wednesday becomes Easter’s resurrection.
We are going to remember these truths liturgically and prayerfully on Ash Wednesday, at 7PM. I’ll be leading a service of prayer and of the imposition of ashes, the service will be simple, not too long, and, I hope, meaningful. I hope to see you there.
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On another matter: a few months back I mentioned that I would be organizing a study trip to Spain in which we would be learning about the convivencia, a time when—with varying degrees of success—Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived peacefully together under Islamic rule in Southern Spain. The goal of the trip is to learn about what makes for peaceful co-existence and how conflict based in religion and ideology can be avoided. With only a small amount of publicity, a solid 20 people from the congregation and beyond have expressed some amount of interest in the trip.
If you are curious about what such a trip would look like, what it would cost, when it will happen, and how we might work together to offset some of the carbon emissions generated by such a journey, I will be hosting two informational meetings after celebration of March 3 and March 24. And if neither of those meetings works for you, please feel free to make an appointment with me, and I can fill you in on the details at another time.
Blessings for the Beginning of Lent!
God’s Peace,
Ben