Ash Wednesday

 

Anna sent me this picture and it absolutely made my heart sing.... she got to go to a place near campus where they could stop by and receive ashes today. 

The words below are what were spoken over her today..... 

"Lent is one way God has taught me how to say goodbye to the things that aren’t serving me or the world well and to embrace practices and postures and prayers that reorient me to God’s goodness and faithfulness right in the very thickets and valleys of the wilderness. Sometimes we need to part the weeds of how we were taught certain aspects of faith in order to catch a glimpse of the path to abundant life still waiting for us." -Sarah Bessey 

"We are shaped by our clocks; and that is why paying attention to Lent is important. SPU runs predominantly on Outlook calendars, quarters, budget deadlines, contracts, TimeSchedule, and more. That is why we need the help of the church, so that while these times seek to master us, we are reminded that we are constantly being drawn into eternity. Our anxious times need a better clock. That is why the church calendar and Ash Wednesday and Lent are important. The church’s clock reminds us today and for the next seven weeks, that we are contingent creatures made of the earth and that salvation will not come from better use of our time, but that it comes from Jesus. And so we are asked by the church to remember that, and to prepare for that through repentance, prayer and fasting. These are our tools for being timed aright."  (from an email today from Brian Lugioyo, dean of the School of Theology at SPU)