Ash Wednesday is not about cigarettes, but you might quit smoking. One of the disciplines of Lent is fasting; abstaining or giving up certain habits, foods, etc...Discipline is hard. If it weren't, it wouldn't take discipline. Ash Wednesday is the ritual marking of the forehead with ashes in the sign of the cross. It symbolizes our mortality, our creaturehood, that we were all "made from the dust" and will one day return to the dust of the earth. It is good to know this. Transiency and mortality means today is the day. Seize it. Live today as if it could be your last or most important.
Ash Wednesday is also a visible reminder that there is dirty, black darkness---sin---in our hearts and minds, in the world. We make a mess of things. Every now and again I need to be reminded that I am not just a good person trying to live a good life. I benefit all the time from many privileges that I take for granted; from my skin color to my education, I have received good things that others have not. Not by my own doing. I am not self-made. Also, I take advantage of those privileges in ways that negatively affect others, in ways that are too often hidden from me. I have money to buy things I don't need, while my neighbor does not have enough money for heat,food, or shelter. I should try and rectify that in some way. A bible word related to Lent is "to repent", a verb which has to do with self-transformation, changing directions, turning around. Sometimes, we need a do-over, a second change, a U-turn. Lent is a reboot, a fresh start.
Also, Ash Wednesday remembers the cross. Jesus died. God died with him. But life continues. Because death is not final. It need not condition the way we live. We are not the walking dead. We are alive with potential for goodness and love. We can avoid destructive, toxic things and embrace life-giving things.
So, for forty days Christians reflect on what it means to be a creature in the world. They do so in physical ways. Because for Christians, being spiritual is a physical experience. We connect to God, not through transcendental meditation, but through physical means. And that is what Lent is about; restoring a connection with God. God, according to the bible, loves us. We call relationship with God communion. A lot of Christians observe Ash Wednesday with a service of worship. You could go. Many churches welcome guests, especially for Lent. Whether you attend or not, here are forty ways to do Lent and restore communion with God and others.
Forty ways
1. Wait. Sit still. See how long you can stay alert and still.
2. Eat less. Share what you don't eat with someone else.
3. Give up coffee or soda. Give your coffee/soda $ to a non profit relief agency.
4. Explore another culture. Learn some simple vocabulary from their language. Eat a traditional meal.
5. Take a walk outside. At least a 1/2 mile. Look for signs of emerging spring.
6. Pray a Psalm. There are 150 of them in the bible. They are emotional prayers. Some are sad, some are joyful, some are angry or fearful, some are filled with gratitude and hope.
7. Eat at a community meal or soup kitchen. Say thank you to the servers.
8. Call someone you haven't spoken to in a while. Ask them questions and listen.
9. Spend a day "fasting" from electronic devices. Turn off the cell phone, the Ipad, the laptop, etc...
10. Do not spend any money today.
11. Take someone to lunch. Buy.
12. Watch the movie "Chocolat", a story about Lent, discipline, self-indulgence, and grace.
13. Bake bread.
14. Visit a farm and learn about the food they produce there.
15. Monitor your water usage today. Learn about water consumption and shortages online at elca world hunger water resources.
16. Read the Gospel of Luke today.
17. Encourage someone.
18. Pray the newspaper. Read the news and pray to God about what you read.
19. Invite someone you know to come with you to worship.
20. Be silent for 30 minutes. Monitor your anxiety. What worries you? Repeat the words of Jesus, "Do not be afraid. Believe."
21. Bring dinner to a neighbor.
22. Visit an elderly person in a nursing home.
23. Pick an issue and write a letter to your state or federal representatives advocating a position. A good place to start is: Bread for the World.
24. Visit a local pottery shop that allows you to use the wheel and throw a pot.
25. Choose one person and pray for them today, as often as you can think of their name.
26. Buy a $20.00 gasoline card and give it to a stranger.
27. Donate one coat and one pair of shoes, new or gently used.
28. No texting today. Try face-to-face communication only.
29. Call your parents or closest living relative today to tell them that you love them.
30. Send a Thank You card by mail to someone you have been meaning to thank.
31. Read the first chapter of the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis. How well do you treat the things God makes? Air, water, land, plants, animals, people? How might you do better?
32. Find out about the work of a local non-profit that works with kids. Donate an hour or two to them.
33. Clean the bathroom. Any bathroom. Pick one and clean it.
34. Invite someone over for dinner at your house. Prepare it together.
35. Get a bouquet of flowers for your house.
36. Give up driving today. Walk, bike, public transit, or stay put.
37. Eat only fruits and vegetables today. No meat.
38. Carry two gallons of water with you wherever you go today. Remember the billion people without access to clean water.
39. Make a list of 12 people. Pray for them by name. Call, text, or email them to let them know you did.
40. Stay home.
Lent is about restoring relationships: with God, ourselves, and others. If there is someone with whom you are not at peace, consider reaching out to make peace. Finding a way to say "I'm sorry" is a good first, humble step toward reconciliation. Try it.
"Return to the Lord your God; for God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." Book of the Prophet Joel, chapter 2.
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