Daily Devotion for Lent 2023 - Ash Wednesday

Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself and sat among the ashes.

                                                                      Job 2:8 (NRSV)

 

Normally, one of my Lenten disciplines is to daily walk through one of the books of the Bible and to publish my thoughts on it as a daily devotion.  Usually, this provides some good conversation with others as they comment with their own thoughts or reflections.

This year, my position as a district superintendent has brought a stressful workload regarding disaffiliation.  I recognized that even if I didn't have the time to offer some daily biblical analysis and devotion, I did (more than ever) need to have a Lenten discipline.  So this year, I will be writing a daily offering of gratitude for the connection.  Being United Methodist shapes who I am in fundamental ways - as I grew up, as I participated as a lay person, as I answered my call to ordained ministry and as I have served as an Elder in the church.

As we begin the season of Lent, I am thankful for The United Methodist Church in recognizing the value of the Ash Wednesday service.  This is a relatively recent addition to our liturgical practice as the order of service didn't appear in our United Methodist Book of Worship until it was published in 1992.  I don't have any memory of it growing up.

It is possible that the first time I experienced this service was under the leadership of Rev. Ken Tobler when I was on staff as a youth minister at New Haven UMC in Tulsa.  I was there from 1990 until 1994 so this is my best guess!

Since that time, I have participated annually and for most of my ministry, I have not only received the ashes on my forehead, but I have also imposed them upon others.

The metaphor is actually fairly morbid.  The practice of sitting in sackcloth and ashes certainly predates Christianity (see the quote from Job).  It was also practiced outside of  Judaism in the ancient world.  It was an act of penitence that advertised to others, "I might as well be dead!"

What is the value in acknowledging our own mortality?  

Sometimes this can be sobering - especially in light that our current culture is often in denial about the reality that all of us will someday die.  When confronted with this brutal fact, it does allow us to recognize our pettiness or even silliness within our conflicted relationships.  

Sometimes the ashes remind us, "Who do I need to forgive?"  

Ash Wednesday and Lent in general hopefully lead us to ask, "What am I paying attention to that is really minor in the grand scheme of things?"

I've been blessed from this practice through the years.  I'm grateful to The United Methodist Church for bringing me this annual reminder.

Here's a worship service for today but you'll need to bring your own ashes!