• About Amy
  • Blog

Categories

  • articles (36)
  • sermon (118)
  • Uncategorized (24)

Archives

  • September 2020 (1)
  • March 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (2)
  • January 2020 (4)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (1)
  • October 2019 (5)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • April 2019 (3)
  • October 2018 (3)
  • September 2018 (3)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (2)
  • February 2018 (3)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • October 2017 (7)
  • January 2017 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (1)
  • August 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (2)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • December 2015 (1)
  • October 2015 (3)
  • September 2015 (1)
  • May 2015 (3)
  • April 2015 (2)
  • March 2015 (1)
  • February 2015 (3)
  • December 2014 (2)
  • November 2014 (1)
  • October 2014 (3)
  • September 2014 (1)
  • August 2014 (3)
  • July 2014 (1)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (4)
  • April 2014 (3)
  • March 2014 (3)
  • February 2014 (3)
  • January 2014 (1)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (3)
  • October 2013 (3)
  • September 2013 (5)
  • August 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (4)
  • June 2013 (6)
  • May 2013 (3)
  • April 2013 (4)
  • March 2013 (5)
  • February 2013 (4)
  • January 2013 (3)
  • December 2012 (1)
  • November 2012 (3)
  • October 2012 (1)
  • September 2012 (3)
  • August 2012 (2)
  • July 2012 (3)
  • June 2012 (3)
  • May 2012 (2)
  • April 2012 (4)
  • March 2012 (3)
  • February 2012 (2)
  • December 2011 (1)
  • November 2011 (7)
  • October 2011 (3)

Links

    Tags

    writings sermon

    Ash Wednesday, Mortality and Children

    Every year at Ash Wednesday, a small group of folks from the congregation I pastor gather to give each other ashes, to be marked by each other as a symbol of our humanity, our mortality, our brokenness.  And at this service, there are always a few parents that bring their children.

    This is not necessarily a service geared toward children, but these families come, because to them Ash Wednesday is one of the most important services of the year.

    I respect these parents—this is not a service I had the guts to bring my own children to.  The last thing I want to do is take the burned palm leaves from last year’s Passion Sunday service mixed with the oil I use to anoint the sick and hurting, and make the sign of the cross on my son and daughter’s forehead.  They are mortal, they will die, but I do not want to think about that right now.  I’d like to focus instead on their future and their dreams.

    But these families bring their children, and make the sign of the cross on their foreheads.  They mark them, and say to them, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return.”  And, in turn their children mark them, and say those sacred, haunting words.

    When I’ve talked to the parents after they have exchanged ashes with their children, I can see the look of pain on their faces, when they say, “That is one of the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”  There is such an unspeakable honesty that comes with this ritual between parent and child.

    Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and marks a call to recognition that we are God’s chosen people, God’s broken people, God’s mortal people.  It’s a painful and important part of our discipleship journey.  And it’s a painful reminder of our relationship with our children.  They will change and parts of our relationship with them will die.  They will die.  We—their parents—will die, and they will probably be left on this earth to deal with what remains unsaid and undone between the generations.

    In that brokenness and humanity, we rest in that odd comfort that God loves us and is with us, blessing our humanity and our failings, blessing our trying and giving us grace and freedom to keep trying.

    That’s an important lesson to learn at any age.

    And this year, maybe I’ll have the courage to teach it to my children.

    Amy
    13 February, 2013
    Uncategorized
    1 Comment on Ash Wednesday, Mortality and Children

    1 Comment

    Amy says:
    February 13, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    Cross posted at Practicing Families: http://practicingfamilies.com/2013/02/13/ash-wednesday-mortality-and-children/

    Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    • About Amy
    • Subscribe
    Powered by Rethink Creative Services