When I lived in Colorado, I briefly worked at a self-contained high school that had about 20 students. This was a middle step for students who were either coming out of, or possibly going into residential programs. These kids all had rough lives, emotional issues, or a combination of the two. On a day that happened to be Ash Wednesday, a kid we’ll call Tory showed up late. These kids were required to take the city bus to school so a few minutes here or there wasn’t made into an issue, but Tory was an hour and a half late, and when arrived he had a smudge that looked like the letter T on his forehead.
He tried to sneak in unnoticed—he was noticed. As the teacher saw him walking in, she was about to confront him when she saw the mark on his head, and let it slide. It wasn’t until lunch that she asked him about where he went to get his cross this morning? Tory was confused. He looked in the mirror and said, “Why would I go to a HECKING church? That STUFF is from my HECKING bike.”
As we enter this season of Lent and Easter it’s easy to forget that not everyone celebrates the Easter season for the same reasons. For many, it’s just the time of year when everything turns pastel, and Reese’s Eggs are available. However, for those of us inside the church, it is the pinnacle of our church calendar, the time when we mourn the death and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Psalm 138:7-8 says
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Not everyone knows why this time of year is important. Even some people who look the part, just have stuff from their bike on their forehead and have no idea what it means. This year, whether it is through fasting or study, I hope you will take the time to investigate what Easter and the resurrection mean in your life, and how you can show that to other people.
On this Ash Wednesday, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” †