Ash Wednesday 2.0
Most that received ashes heard these words, “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” I’ve said those words, years ago, when participating in an Ash Wednesday service as one of several clergy with the task of marking foreheads. It is humbling to remind persons of any age that humanity was created from the dirt especially when you know that some are closer to physical death than others. I think of our mortality as a gift rather than a punishment, but that is a topic for another post.
I decided to honor what I think the spirit of the tradition is about, and altered my language for those that received ashes at Broad Street Christian Church on Wednesday. “Remember you are dust created in the image of God, and you are a disciple of Jesus.” That didn’t appear in the bulletin. I think it is a message that can help our protestant expression of Christian faith be revived, again; and evolve into the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 2.0.