Lenten Love
When I realized that this year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s
Day were the same day, I thought, “Of course. That is perfect.” Because, you
know, Ash Wednesday is when we remind ourselves that we are mortal and will die
one day, and Valentine’s Day is when we spend money on flowers and candy for
each other. The two holidays obviously go together quite well.
Stick with me here, and I’ll try to explain. For those of
you who may not be familiar with Ash Wednesday, this day falls each year 40
days before Easter (not counting Sundays) and ushers in the season of Lent. Many
Christians enjoy taking special time for reflection during the Lenten season,
and Ash Wednesday in particular is a day when we “remember that we are dust,
and to dust we will return” – in other words, when we are reminded of our
mortality, and the fact that we will die one day.
But rather than simply a time for somber reflection, Ash
Wednesday gives us a beautiful opportunity to once again see the love of God. I
especially like the way Rev. Ward B. Ewing puts it, in his post, “The Freedom of Being Dust:”
"Dust is the material of a beloved creation. We cannot - must not - despise this loving work... Remember that you are dust. You are not worth much as a commodity, but you are loved, beloved, shaped, molded, caressed, nurtured by the Loving God who made the stars and the moon, all the creatures of this world. Remember you are dust - precious, precious dust."1
"Dust is the material of a beloved creation. We cannot - must not - despise this loving work... Remember that you are dust. You are not worth much as a commodity, but you are loved, beloved, shaped, molded, caressed, nurtured by the Loving God who made the stars and the moon, all the creatures of this world. Remember you are dust - precious, precious dust."1
I see Ash Wednesday, and the entire Lenten season, as a time to slow down and see our life - and death - for the beauty that it is in Christ. It is a joyful reminder of the coming of Easter - that even though we are sinners, coming from dust and returning to dust, that in Christ we have life and grace and forgiveness. And we remember that "we are made for life with God" (Ward).
This, then, is where a love so much greater than Valentine's Day is seen. This wonderful God, who loved us and fashioned out of dust, who gave us life, came as a man to die for us so that we could have life with Him eternally. Now THAT is love.
So the question then is,
What will be our
response to that love?
This week I've been working with my son on his essay on William Wilberforce and the eradication of the slave trade in Britain. I still love homeschooling - learning along with my children about wonderful figures and events in history, sharing together what it all means for us today. Wilberforce met the true and living God during Easter of 1786, and it changed his life. When Thomas Clarkson fully introduced him to the issue of slavery, Wilberforce remembers:
"So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition."2
"So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition."2
The God who had revealed Himself to Wilberforce
with the great grace of His love spurred in Wilberforce a love for those
enslaved. Wilberforce would go on to fight slavery the rest of his life,
lobbying for support and bringing resolutions to Parliament year after year,
never giving up. And it wasn't only in this area that God's love moved Wilberforce's
heart to compassion. He was a true philanthropist, giving away much of his own
money to the causes of the poor, as well as working to help orphans, single
mothers, chimney sweeps, and juvenile delinquents.
The true love of the gospel made a difference in William
Wilberforce's life, and he in turn lived a life of love, as Paul encourages us
to do in his letter to the Ephesians.
As I enter this Lenten season, I find myself realizing what a gift Lent can be. It is the chance to once again ponder the incredible love that Jesus has shown me. And while many people choose to give up soda or social media during Lent, I wonder if the call of Lent isn't grander - following the path of the love of Jesus by the giving up of our very lives for others.
And so, this Ash Wednesday we remember that we are dust - mortal and temporary, but oh so loved by the Creator who formed us. And this Valentine's Day, the love of Christ compels us to live out a life of true love for others. May it be.
1 - Ewing, Rev. Ward B. "The Freedom of Being Dust." Explorefaith : The Freedom of Being Dust by The Very Rev. Ward B. Ewing, 28 Feb. 2001,www.explorefaith.org/LentenHomily02.28.01.html.
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