Lenten Greetings Dear People of Bethlehem,
Yes, you heard (or read) me right! It’s a little hard to believe, but Lent is just around the corner. Those forty days of fasting and repentance that lead up to Jesus’ betrayal, crucifixion, death, and resurrection. And this year Ash Wednesday falls on, of all days, Valentine’s Day. At first glance, these two seem to be very contradictory holidays. Lent is often a time when people choose to give something up as a spiritual practice of self-discipline. Whereas Valentine’s Day is often associated with spending lots of money on decadent meals and presents, and let’s not forget indulging in a fair amount of chocolate as well. I found more than a few articles debating whether or not we are allowed to eat chocolate on Valentine’s Day at all this year.
As usual, the internet is already all over this odd-couple pairing. I saw one Valentine’s Day card that read, “The only thing I could never give up for Lent is you.” And a colleague of mine, Pastor Beth, created this one that says, “You can’t spell Valentine without lent” as an ad for her church’s Ash Wednesday service. If you see any other such creations, please send them to me!
But I think that Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day could be better suited for one another than we might think. One of the most unique portions of the Ash Wednesday worship service is called the imposition of ashes. The ashes are made by burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday worship, bringing the story of Jesus’ crucifixion full circle in many ways. Folks come forward to receive an ashen smudge in the shape of a cross on their foreheads as the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” are spoken to them. This is done as a stark and sober reminder of our mortality – the fact that we are all going to die one day, and that all things eventually come to an end. But it is that very impermanence that is part of what gives life its sweetness, its value, and makes it truly worth living. If life just went on and on and on into oblivion, then today would be no different from tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. The fact that our days are indeed limited shouldn’t inspire dread or fear, rather it should inspire deep appreciation and joy for the gift of the present. Each moment we have on this earth is a precious gift that should be savored and lived to the fullest. The fact that all things end brings into sharp relief the blessings that we have in our lives in the here and now, and encourages us to celebrate them while we can.
One of the greatest gifts in our lives, that each and every one of us possess in one form or another, is love. And that’s what Valentine’s day is all about. Whether it comes from your friends, or your family, or from beloved pets, or romantic partners, or from God almighty, each one of us is loved, and we are each called to love others in turn. Because one day, we won’t be able to call up that friend we haven’t spoken to in ages and tell them that we love them. One day we won’t be able to wrap our arms around the person that means so much to us. One day we won’t be able to feel those warm cuddles from our pets that really are the purest and closest example that we have to what God’s unconditional love is like. And while thinking about those things does indeed inspire a bit of sadness in my heart, it mostly just inspires me to make sure that I share as much love as I possibly can in the time that I have been given.
So, if I may be so bold as to suggest, instead of giving something up for Lent this year, what if you chose to take something on? What if you made sure to tell at least one person a day that you love them? What if you tried to do one act of service for someone else with no other motivation than to simply make them feel loved? What if your Lenten discipline was to spread love and joy in this finite, and therefore beautifully impermanent world of ours? Now that would truly make for a joyful Easter morning.
Happy Lent-ing Y’all, Pastor Sam