Ash Wednesday

"...Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" Isaiah 58:5c-6
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 [NRSV]

I recently spent a day in mini-retreat, preparing for Lent and considering what sorts of disciplines I might want to partake in during the next forty(-seven) days. There are some traditional ideas, such as giving up pop/soda, TV, certain foods....there are some that view this time as a renewal of those New Year's resolutions that failed by January 15. In any case, Lent is such a time of renewal - it's a renewal of ourselves but in more than that isolated, "I am an island" way. This is a time set in the church year to actively work on renewing one's relationship with God. At the mini-retreat, we discussed and reflected on three big categories to assist us in reconnecting with God: prayer, alms-giving, fasting. It is my hope that the next forty(-seven) days of this blog-site will serve all three of those things.

Though the text from Matthew talks about praying, fasting, and giving in secret so as not to boast, I hope that this will not be a time of boasting, but to give you an insight as to why this blog will exist in the coming days. It is my prayer that I will be a faithful witness to the experience of being in Palestine, Israel, and Jordan; that I will be a faithful witness to the incredible people we met who are working for peace and justice in a place literally divided by an insurmountable wall; that through the words, stories, and photos will inspire action, education, and a desire to learn both sides of an extremely complicated situation. I share these things with because I can - because there is much from this trip that needs to leave my head and my heart and find rest among you. My fast, concerning this blog only, is to fast from the immediacy of my life - the papers, the readings, the social time, the Facebook - in order to recall, share, and seek a closeness with God in light of the experience I had in January. God was moving and acting in so many ways during those couple weeks, and we moved at such a pace that I forgot to look, to listen, to see. I fast from the present to examine the not-so-distant past.

Through the next forty(-seven) days, I invite you along the journey with me - to a place of the past, the present, and the future. Consider today, if you choose to attend an Ash Wednesday service, what the symbol marked on your forehead is calling you to do this Lent, where your relationship, your partnership with God needs a check-up, and what you can do, or not do, to work on it, with the help of God.

(And I promise to try and be less long-winded in the future, though it will not be a guarantee.)

Scripture for Today: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Isaiah 58:1-12; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-20 (Revised Common Lectionary, Year B)