Thursday, February 23rd

The mark of the ashes has been washed away. Reminded of my humanity I faced a new day today. As with any day I could have gone with the flow and allowed the motions of everyday to guide me and to speak to me. I have discovered that living life in this way leaves you numb - unaware of people - unaware of nature - unaware of life. 

Look at the crocus bulb. If the crocus bulb relied only in itself - it would remain a dull, fuzzy looking object and over time would simply dry up. Taking that same crocus bulb and planting it in the ground and allowing it to interact with the earth, the sun, the rain...all of nature, it becomes a beautiful flower and message of hope - spring is coming! - to all who pass by. 

A friend shared these words with me today:

In this portion of his "Psalm of the Great Reversal" 

Jerry Webber describes his journey in light of David's:

I've lumbered through life with this illusion

that the center of life is about what I do for You,

that I need to find great and small things to do for You;

When all along,

You've wanted to do something in me!

You've desired to build a life of meaning in me

a life animated by Your Spirit,

and lived from the soul,

inside out!

David had it backward;

he didn't need to build a house for You.

You wanted to build a house

inside him!

...

This is my own Great Reversal:

The shift in consciousness

to which I open myself daily,

as You build a life of meaning within me...

To this Reversal, I open myself.

Like the crocus...God desires to work in us and through us!

Ash Wednesday
occurs on the first day of Lent - the seventh Wednesday before Easter. On this day ashes are placed on the foreheads of the faithful to remind them of death, of the sorrow they should feel for their sins, and of the necessity of changing their lives. The practice, which dates from the early Middle Ages, is common among Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Episcopalians, and many other Protestants.

"Honesty before God requires the most fundamental risk of faith we can take: the risk that God is good, that God does love us unconditionally. It is in taking this risk that we rediscover our dignity. To bring the truth of ourselves, just as we are, to God, just as God is, is the most dignified thing we can do in this life." --Gerald May


Psalm 8
O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!


What a week for Ash Wednesday! Looking at the night skies we see Venus, Mars AND Jupiter!!! What a marvelous sight!! Most of us have only seen them in models in public school classrooms - styrofoam balls floating above our heads! 


Beginning this Lenten adventure - we pause to examine ourselves AND look at God. In the next 40 days, my prayer is that we will discover more about ourselves and God as we travel together 


and in the process our lives will be changed.


God be with us!


Phill