Day 1: Ash Wednesday. Today Christians throughout the world will come to their places of worship and receive the ashen cross on their foreheads. Some of our Evangelical friends will think this is a silly superstition or some left over ritual that has no real meaning. But the truth is it is one of the most powerful days in the life of the Christian; one which reminds us whose and who we are. You see most days we are free to live our faith with no one really knowing that we claim to follow Jesus of Nazareth. The neighbor who we growl out because their dog wont stop barking; the clerk at the store who seems to be deliberately slow or incompetent; the employee whose worth in the marketplace is questionable at best; the homeless woman outside 7-1l: none of these on any other day will know that we are followers of the Christ. But today.....each and everyone of these folks will see the mark of the crucified Lord on our brows. And I wonder, if we know we are so bold to carry his cross on our brow, will our behavior in the world be different? Will we be more gracious? Will we be more merciful than relentless? Will we be more loving? Here at OSLC we'll have a worship at 7pm...please come...but that only gives us a few hours to wear the cross before we go to bed and begin a new day. But here's the thing; we actually wear that cross each and every day whether we remember it or not. And I wonder if folks can see it?
Remember, "you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked by the cross of Christ, forever!" Amen
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