I have spent my entire life in Mainline Protestant denominations that observe Lent. While every congregation I've been a part of brings its own unique context to this observance, certain elements have never changed - including the date of Ash Wednesday. Both/And This morning I provided pulpit supply for West Fork Presbyertian Church (PCUSA) in Grand Prairie, Texas. And, for the first time in my life, I led a service on the first Sunday in Lent that incorporated elements of Ash Read More …
Ash Wednesday
Sermon: Beginning the Journey (#1346)
Sermon Text: Psalm 51:1-17 Sermon Manuscript It doesn't come as a surprise to me that those gathered here this evening are far fewer in number than those who worshiped in this sacred space on Sunday morning. Ash Wednesday has a way of thinning the crowd – especially the Protestant crowd. It is a day some have called “the most uncomfortable day of the year.” Ash Wednesday is an unusual sort of service for those of us who are not accustomed to the high church world of smells and Read More …
Ashes of Transformation (#1003)
Dawn Hutchings, one of the pastors of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Ontario, recently shared an Ash Wednesday homily she wrote from a progressive perspective. On this day when the most familiar words serve as reminders of our mortality, Hutchings suggests another way to receive and embrace the ashes that will adorn our foreheads: Let the ashes you wear be the ashes of transformation; of awakening to the beauty and love of seizing the moment and living it to the fullest. So What? This past Read More …
One Year Later (#0297)
My life has changed a great deal over the last year: Ash Wednesday 2010 marked the final day of serving my last church. I spent most of the morning packing up my office and saying goodbye to other members of the staff. Ash Wednesday 2011 marked two and a half months working for a university. I spent most of the morning leading a workshop for faculty. As I started my Lenten journey last year I did so having just resigned from a position without having first accepted another Read More …