Where I live, February can be a harsh month. Winter drags on even as the days get longer. On top of that, this week is the beginning of the season of Lent, a somber time.
People are desperate for peace for themselves, their neighborhoods, and the world. There is violence in our communities and across the oceans. As communities of faith, can we offer a sign of something transcendent, of God’s love and forgiveness?
Some congregations distribute ashes on Ash Wednesday in public locations–outdoors at train stations and in parks. It’s a very public display of our faith and a reminder of the season of Lent.
Can this be a way of bringing Jesus out of the church building and into the communities where people live and work? What will you do this Lent to express your faith?
Today is Ash Wednesday. This message is excerpted from a February 2011 blog by Kate Elliott.