I used to feel pretty self conscious about having an ashen cross on my forehead for Ash Wednesday; in talking with my little brother over the phone today, he said he wasn't going to get a cross on his forehead at our church's service this evening because he wasn't comfortable with it, and I totally understood.
In the past few years, though, I've become very comfortable with showing my faith throughout the day. At Wartburg College, we have a special Ash Wednesday chapel service during our usual weekday chapel time. Because I helped usher for the service today, I got to really see how packed the sanctuary was--I think I can count on two hands how many times I've seen the chapel that full. Wartburg, being a college of the church, is one place where I can walk around all day with ash on my forehead and see many of my peers and professors sporting the same visible faith statement.
For all those who wear their ashes out in the general public, perhaps in a less immediately accepting environment than an ELCA-affiliated college, I admire your boldness, your steadfastness, and your commitment to silently but visibly share your faith, even if it's on just one particular day of the year.
"The beauty of Ash Wednesday is that very ordinary people, heading to the train, to work or school, exercise the simple act of wearing their faith for this one day a year. A very old ritual against the backdrop of modern society."
--Greg Miller, as quoted by NPR in "Excuse me, you have something on your forehead"
pictures from Greg Miller's blog
Nice thoughts... I miss the feeling of having a faith community all around you that isn't weird about wearing a symbol of their faith outright. The church I go to here in Fort Collins is mego-huge, so they don't do ashes or communion because trying to get through the whole congregation would take all day... it's one of the many little things that I miss about Wartburg.
ReplyDelete