FAQ for Ash Wednesday

This year for Ash Wednesday, I will be on the patio of the local Starbucks offering communion, prayer, and the institution of ashes for locals.  I thought a bit of information might be good to have handy and put this together.  It's still in the editing stage, so if you have input, please comment!

What is Lent?

Lent is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) that precedes the celebration of Easter. It is often considered a time of preparation and prayer to be receptive to the gift of eternal life that comes through Jesus Christ.

 What is Ash Wednesday?

 Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. This year it falls on March 5^th.  Ash Wednesday is marked by services of prayer, repentance, confession, communion, and the imposition of ashes (the sign of the cross made in ashes on the forehead).

Why do people wear ashes?

 Ashes are meant to be a reminder of our mortality and of our sinfulness.  In Genesis, after Adam and Eve sin, God tells them, “from dust you have come and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19).  This passage reminds us that we are mortal and will all eventually die.  Additionally, the sign of the cross made in ashes is a reminder of our need for repentance (turning away from our sin).

Why do some churches do this and others don’t?

 In the scriptures, wearing ashes is a sign of mourning.  There is no specific scripture that tells us to wear ashes to prepare for Easter.  Over the years, the Church has created a variety of rituals that remind us of our relationship with God and help make our faith become more tangible.  The practice of wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday is one of those practices. So, some churches have adopted this ritual as part of their custom, other churches have not.  Wearing ashes does not make your more Christian or more faithful.  It is an act that invites us to prayerful repentance and should simply be regarded as a means of drawing into conversation with God. 

If someone asks me about it, what should I say?

 You can give whatever explanation you are comfortable with. Some simple answers include:

·         The ashes remind me that I am mortal.

·         The ashes remind me that I am sinful.

·         The ashes invite us to repentance.

·         The ashes remind me that from dust I have come and to dust I shall return.

·         The ashes invite me to turn my heart to God in the season of Lent.

What is fasting and why do people do it?

Fasting is traditionally thought of as abstaining from food for a period of time (commonly 24 hours, or missing 2 or 3 meals).  In Lent, Christians often fast from a particular food item (like chocolate, ice cream, or meat).  There is a strong scriptural foundation for fasting.  Fasting from food reminds us that we are not sustained by food alone (Deuteronomy).  It also reminds us of people around the world who daily struggle to have enough food.  If you have physical limitations (like diabetes) it is best to talk with a doctor before participating in an extended fast.  Though fasting is commonly related to food, we can fast from most anything. Some people fast from TV, from Facebook, from unnecessary spending, from self-deprecation, among other activities.  Fasting in this way draws us into greater consciousness about how we spend our time, money, and energy. 

How else do people prepare for Easter?

There are a lot of ways to utilize Lent as a season of preparation for Easter.  Fasting is a common way.  Other people choose to add a devotional practice to their lives.  Some might add a daily prayer time. Others might read a regular devotional. Some churches offer special studies and classes in Lent that you can take advantage of.  Some people might be intentional about ministering to someone during Lent. You could volunteer at a shelter, take a meal to a family that is struggling, offer to give respite time to a caregiver, or donate items to a local clothes closet.  Other people make a special offering during Lent sacrificing an amount of money to share with someone in need.  During the last week of Lent, known as Holy Week, many churches will have additional worship services to mark the last days before Jesus’ crucifixion. You could attend a Maundy Thursday service, a Seder dinner, the Stations of the Cross, or a Good Friday service.

 What is communion?

 Communion is a holy meal of bread and wine (or juice) that is shared within the Christian community. The tradition is based in the Jewish tradition of Passover, which Jesus shared with his 12 disciples the night before he was crucified.  The bread in the Jewish tradition represented the sacrificial lamb.  At dinner with his disciples, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and shared it with his disciples saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Take and eat and do this in remembrance of me.”  In essence, Jesus took the old tradition of the Passover sacrificial lamb and gave it new meaning saying “I am the sacrificial lamb.” That means his sacrifice is the one that forgives our sins and sets us right with God.  At the end of the Passover meal, there is a cup of wine that is called the cup of Elijah. It is understood as a cup of hope and promise that God will come again to save the people.  Jesus took that cup at the end of the meal and said, “This is my blood which is poured out for you. It is the cup of the new covenant. Take and drink and do this in remembrance of me.” Again Jesus took an old tradition and put new meaning on it teaching the disciples that his blood is the blood of the sacrificial lamb and that through him a new covenant is made to save and forgive the people.  Christians have continued this tradition of sharing in the bread and wine (some traditions, including ours use juice instead of wine so that everyone can participate in communion) as a reminder of what Jesus does for us so that we might be forgiven and saved.

How can I be forgiven?

God is the one who forgives us of our sins.  To be forgiven you simply need to recognize your sins (the things/actions/habits in your life that block, damage, or impair your relationship with God and with others) and ask God for forgiveness.  As Christians, we believe that forgiveness is freely given to all persons who ask because of the perfect sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. 

Prayer for sermon preparation

Lord, be in my mind that I might find your truth in the words of scripture.  Guide my thoughts that I might express your message for your people. Through Christ I pray, amen.

Then one day

From the beginning of this journey, I have had the thought, "I'm not a runner, why am I doing this?!" run through my head during most of my training.  I have struggled with the workouts, partly in a physical sense, but mostly in a psychological sense.  I'm not a runner.  At least, I wasn't.  I wasn't a runner.  Not in high school when I "ran" track. Not in college or seminary or afterward. I wasn't a runner. I wasn't a runner when I signed up to run a half marathon, which seems crazy in and of itself. I mean, why run a half marathon if you're not a runner?!?!  The truthful answer is, I signed up to run to raise money for a cause and work toward a cure for leukemia and lymphoma (which also, by default, has a way of helping with a cure for other cancers too...).  I was inspired by Kathleen Stout and her struggle as we as her victory and the statistics that changed so dramatically to offer life instead of death to those with a blood cancer diagnosis.  So I signed up. I didn't sign up for the running. I signed up to be challenged and to do the fundraising and work for something beyond myself. 

Only, the thing that happened with all that running and training and such was that somehow in the midst of it, I became a runner.  There wasn't some glorified Hollywood moment when I took off like Jackie Joyner Kersee.  It just happened, subtly and unannounced.  One training I was fighting the constant thought, "I'm not a runner" and then somehow on the next I wasn't.  And somehow when it came to running 12 miles, I was undaunted, excited even.  And then the next week when we ran 6 miles, I said, "We only ran 6 this week."  ONLY being the operative word.  Only 6?!?  Who says that?  Runners do.  Runners who do much greater distances and see 6 as a reprieve say "only 6".  And that's when I knew for sure. I'm now a runner.

Advent “Study” week 2

part 2 in a series of Advent "studies" that are less about study and more about slowing down to listen for God in the midst of the holy-days.

Part of readying ourselves is allowing God to work in our lives. Many of us need healing in our relationships, in our bodies, and in our spirit. 

The focus of today’s time together is to slow down, listen, and ask God for healing in our lives. 

Let us start with prayer. Gracious Lord, we thank you for this time that we have set apart.  We ask that you would meet us here.  Give us guidance. Lead us and touch us in all the ways we need.  Send your spirit to move in us, through us, amongst us, and between us. In your precious and mighty name, we pray, amen

Meditation: During Advent and Christmas, we celebrate all that Christ brings to and offers the world.  We sing about peace and joy and hope and loife. And yet, often, the holidays bring stress and grief and tension and family feuds.  Facing the holidays without loved ones, end of the year bills, schedule conflicts, illness, fatigue, and family drama can suck the cheer right out of the holidays.  And so we come back to this place to center our hearts on Christ and seek renewal and wholeness. 

The story of Emmanuel shouts, “God with us!” reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles and that God does seek to offer us blessings and goodness.  God wants us to be whole. God wants us to have peace.  God wants our relationships to be life-giving.  God wants us to be healthy. 

In our time of quiet, let us ask God, which parts of my life do you want to heal and restore this Christmas? 

Quiet (2-3 minutes)

Time of sharing

Prayer time (music in the background)

Communion

Hymn

Closing prayer

The Power of Good Coach

Today's run hit the double digits. Today was the first time we did 10 miles as a team. 

I was not ready to run.  I did not want to get out of bed. I did not want to run in the rain. I did not have any kind of desire to get on the course. But I knew I needed to and doubted whether or not I would be able to make next week's training, so I pushed to get out of bed. 

I arrived late and then I started out behind and figured that was fine. I took my time and started by walking and then doing some extra stretches.  Even the basics of the run started with a few SNAFUs.  When I took off my camel pack to stretch I saw that my water pouch was leaking. It was wet through the bottom of the pack and was soaking my shirt, sweatshirt, and pants.  And when I started my ipod, I found the battery was dead even though it was left charging all night.  It was not a good start.  But I knew those things were minor and just kept going.  My pace was slow but steady and I had to keep plugging along.  By 3 miles I was stretched out, feeling loose and pretty proud that 3 miles feels simple and easy on any given day.  I had to make a pit stop and then got back on track, only there was no chalking to indicate the way and no teammates in sight. I had no idea if I was going the right way or not. I had not taken an instruction sheet and I had not heard the general course overview.  Despite all that. I kept going figuring at least I'd get the run done, even if I was on the wrong course. 

At 4 miles, I saw some teammates in the walking group and then started seeing others on their way back.  At 4.5 there was a water stop and Coach Mel was there.  She joined me to go up the hill (the last bit before the turn around) and then stayed with me all the way back. She let me set the pace and we talked the whole way back.  I'm much slower than she is, but her presence made me want to push harder, run longer and more often. And talking made the time go quickly.  Not only were miles 5-10 bearable, they were easy, they were fun even. 

Mel has kept me company on more than one occasion and has never fussed about my pace. She gives me tips on form and answers questions and keeps conversation going.  And her energy, enthusiasm, and skill inspire me to keep trying and working on being better.  And every time I am grateful for her presence as a coach.  She has been a leader, an encourager, and a guide. I am blessed by her with my training and inspired to look at my own "coaching" as a pastor in light of her example. 

If you would like to donate to fight blood cancer, click here.

On loss and faith

Just about a month ago, Rick and I learned that we had miscarried.  I was nearly 11 weeks along and after some warning signs, I saw the doctor and learned there was no heartbeat and the baby hadn't grown in nearly 2 weeks.  It was what they call a "missed miscarriage" meaning my body didn't recognize it right away. My body was carrying along as if everything in the pregnancy was normal.  Only it wasn't.  We were scheduled to leave to Mexico a week after we learned we had miscarried and so we decided to have a D&C to simplify the process and not cause medical problems, or even an emergency, when we were so far from home. 

      As we have grieved, I have been especially grateful for my time as a chaplain at Northside Hospital in Atlanta.  Northside has more births (over 18000) per year than any other hospital in the US.  As part of that, there are also a number of women who experience miscarriage and stillbirth losses.  I was honored to walk with them in their grief as they experienced their own losses.  As a chaplaincy resident, I had to work through my own theology of life and death and pregnancy loss.  Time and time again I heard family members say, “It was God’s will.” And yet I could never reconcile God “taking” a child from loving and caring parents.  As I worked out my own beliefs, I finally came to believe that miscarriages and still births are not in God’s will.  I don’t think God wants the death of any child.  I think biology happens (statistically speaking, 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in miscarriage in the first trimester) and things happen that are part of the brokenness of our world that don’t fall in line with God’s love or God’s grace. 

And yet, even when tragic and heartbreaking things happen, God is there to hold us and love us and comfort us.  Even when the world seems against us or our bodies have failed us or our hearts are broken yet again, God remains constant and eternally invested in us and our well-being.  I’m grateful I worked those things out in my mind years ago, because when we had to walk a similar path this last month, I didn’t have to fight to find God.  God was right there with me as I sat in the hospital room and underwent tests and saw the ultrasound where there was no more heartbeat. God was there when I shared the news with Rick and with family and friends and with each of you.  God was there when Ruthie hugged me and asked about the baby in my belly and prayed repeating after me for Jesus to hold that precious baby.  God was there during surgery and in the recovery and God has been there the whole time following.  Of that I am sure, and for that I give thanks.  

This year I have been terribly anxious for Christmas to arrive.  I was ready to decorate as soon as I heard the news, not physically, but emotionally, I wanted the peace and the hope and the light to break through the sadness.  And Christmas decorations, and the lights and the songs, and the smells all remind me of that hope of Christ. For me, that’s the heart of the Christmas message, that God’s love breaks through our deepest woes and darkest nights and instead offers hope and light and life.

 

It’s God’s promise of a future of abundance and peace and restoration and wholeness that allow us to walk freely into the future.  They allow us to heal from our heartbreaks and embrace something new, even if that something isn’t at all what we expected. 

  

  I pray that you find Christ this Advent and Christmas. I pray that God’s light breaks through the darkness in your own life. I pray that hope and joy fill your heart and that  the beautiful message of the incarnation flows from your lips so that others might know the love of God through Christ Jesus

 

Not a Loner Afterall

I've found that I run at a different pace than most of the group. I don't walk the whole time, but I'm not strong/fast enough to keep a 4:1 (4 minutes running, 1 minute walking) pace either, and there's no way I could do the 5:1 pace more than once or twice. So I go at my own rate. I've had to work on not beating myself up for that. I'm out there running/walking and doing that alone (especially for 9 miles!) is a big deal. Who cares if I'm slower than most? So, I've just gone at my own pace. I bring my ipod along and just go and do what works for my body. I do what doesn't stress my asthma but keeps me pushing for more.

Last Saturday at our run, I was sort of beating myself up over it again. I was blaming myself for being too introverted or too much of a loner and thinking it was a social issue and not a running issue. Mid-self-reprimand, I stopped to stretch (I was less than a mile into the run) and a new woman, an alum who was training with us for the day, stopped to check on me and make sure I was ok. I said I was just tight and needed to stretch out more. She stayed with me and we got acquainted as we got back on the track.

In training, as you go, it's valuable to know what pace someone runs/walks (mostly so you know whether or not you'll be keeping pace with each other or if you'll be parting ways soon). We found out we were keeping a pace closer than not and we agreed to do a 2:1 pace together. Her timer was set and kept us going along at a consistent pace. We talked and got to know one another and had a lovely run together. It was nice to finally have someone at my pace and that I was comfortable chatting with along the way. After our turn around, I needed to stop at a rest stop and told her I could catch up, and yet she decided to stay with me and we would journey along together.

I can't tell you how appreciative I was to have a running mate where I didn't feel defeated for not being able to keep up or frustrated for not doing more running. And to top it all off, I finished the NINE MILES on my feet and feeling well!

Thank you D for a great run!

If you'd like to donate to fight blood cancer, click here.

A Little Closer to the Goal

Today I finished 6.2 miles. That's a 10k. It may sound a little vain, but I was super proud of myself. That was a huge deal to me and 6 miles had seemed pretty overwhelming. I walked a lot today, which was in part to hang with the folks I was with and in part to follow Dr's orders for my pregnancy. But walking or running, first or last, it didn't matter. I finished. I did a 10K today! That has had me on Cloud 9 for most of the day.

All along in this training process, I've been a bit hard on myself and easily discouraged thinking "I've never done 5 miles" "There's no way I could do 8 miles" "13 miles might as well be 1000." And then on my way home, I realized something. I realized that though I haven't run those miles before, I've hiked. We have done a good bit of hiking in my family and a couple of years ago I was doing a bootcamp training and felt invincible and decided to try and do Mt. Whitney. My dad signed on and we trained together and we hiked various mountains and logged a good number of miles. Our longest pre-Whitney, was 9 miles round trip. On the day of Whitney, we didn't summit, we hadn't trained enough for the 22 mile round trip. BUT, we did make it just over 11 miles round trip. Only half, yes, but nearly a full half marathon of distance!

Today, that made me pretty excited. All of the sudden, training for the Tinkerbell race didn't seem so crazy. I've done longer hikes. And I did 11 miles at pretty high elevation and crazy steep trails. So the streets of Anaheim and Disneyland won't be quite so daunting.

It was nice to realize fully, not only can I do this, but in many ways I have done this distance before, and I didn't train nearly as well as I am this time around!

If you'd like to donate to fight cancer, click here.