Guest Blogger - About Ash Wednesday 2018

About Ash Wednesday 2018

Father Curt Norman 

My mind is swirling a million-miles-an-hour as I prepare for worship this morning. It keeps taking me back to Ash Wednesday, one of the most important days in the Church year. And a horrible one this year in the United States of America.

There was a respectful conversation on my Facebook timeline. Not surprising, since I have lots of friends capable of civil discourse. I expressed misgivings about the Church offering the imposition of ashes with what I consider to be convenience, although it is impossible for me to know how each congregation views the practice; it would be dangerous for me to make a broad statement. Thus, I speak only from personal experience.

I do not know how many news articles came across my feed with headlines of clergy taking ashes into the community for persons who “do not have time” to go to services. In the same breath would be mentioned taking ashes to persons who, for physical reasons, are not able to get to worship. The two scenarios are not the same.

On Wednesday afternoon, news broke of yet another mass shooting at an American school. Let the script begin: many leaders in mainline Protestantism began to call on federal lawmakers to make difficult choices so that something like Parkland, Florida does not happen again. Given the political allegiances of many lawmakers, it would require them to make decisions which would be for them politically… wait for it… inconvenient.

Here is where I see a problem. How can the Church call on our nation’s leaders to do what is right (even when it is inconvenient) when we do not practice inconvenience ourselves?

Following Jesus is not convenient.

I understand the good desire to “tear down walls” to bring God to the people. But, in my humble estimation, walls can be torn down only when we raise the bar, not lower it.