Transitional Musings

Transitional Musings

Dear Friends:

Less than a week ago I stood before the congregation and invited you “to an observance of a holy
Lent.”  I then took ashes and marked your forehead as I said, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  This is not a macabre practice; it is the church reminding us that our days are limited and that we can choose each day to live more fully into who God created us to be and serve more fully those we were meant to serve.  I find it to be a helpful reminder in this chaotically busy and soul numbing world.

I saw a beautiful poem by Methodist minister, Jan Richardson, that captures the meaning of Ash Wednesday for me and I wanted to share part of it with you.  May it be a beacon of hope and holy reflection as you continue to walk your Lenten journey.

So let us be marked not for sorrow.  

And let us be marked not for shame.  

Let us be marked not for false humility

or for thinking we are less than we are

but for claiming

what God can do

within the dust,

within the dirt,

within the stuff

of which the world

is made,

and the stars that blaze

in our bones,

and the galaxies that spiral

inside the smudge

we bear.

From Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons

I wish you Lenten blessings,

Doris+