Clothesline 240 "Ash Wednesday"

Today is Ash Wednesday, a day when we are reminded: You are dust, and unto dust you shall return. That always reminds me of a joke I heard years ago about a woman who said she never dusted, because she didn’t want to disturb whoever was coming or going! But seriously, thinking that ‘we are dust and unto dust we shall return’ is a sobering thought.

Last Sunday we saw Jesus transfigured before Peter, James and John, where his skin was glowing, and his clothes were white as snow. And surely, it is no accident that this glorious appearance of Jesus occurs as he is beginning to make his last trip to Jerusalem, a trip through which he will fulfill his promise to die for the sins of the world.

In our tradition, we offer an Ash Wednesday service where we begin the Lenten walk to Jerusalem with Jesus, and we begin it with the custom of receiving a cross of ashes on our foreheads. It’s interesting that Jesus calls the leaders hypocrites for “showing” their good deeds to others, especially since they do these things for recognition. Yet, we leave the church “showing” ashes on our foreheads…. Then Jesus admonishes the leaders for praying in public so their spirituality can be “seen” by others, so others will think they are so religious…yet, again, we leave the church “showing” ashes on our foreheads. Finally, Jesus criticizes the leaders for their practice of fasting, how they like to disfigure their faces and look like they are miserable…again appearing so religious… yet, we leave the church “showing” ashes on our foreheads.

I ask myself: “What’s the difference? Are we hypocrites too?” No, we’re not. While Jesus’ teaching is specific to those who do good deeds to be noticed and recognized, his teaching is really about something else: it’s about having our hearts in the right place. It’s about treasuring our relationship with God, and not recognition by men.

Our prayer should be that if the cross of dust on our foreheads is seen by others, they will know that one who bears that cross of dust, is a follower of Jesus. And nothing could be greater than that.