Next Wednesday, 2/22, is Ash Wednesday. In many Christian churches, people gather in worship to pray, to confess sins, and to receive a mark of humility: ashes on the forehead.
A lot of people feel kind of embarassed walking around with ashes on their faces. That's the point. We're supposed to feel humble on Ash Wednesday. The word "humility" comes from the root of the word humus, meaning "dirt." When we receive ashes, we hear the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, when we are invited to humble ourselves before God.
But you know a lot of people don't go to church. Maybe they don't have time. Maybe they're out of the habit. Maybe they don't understand our language or our music or our rituals. But everyone is a seeker. Everyone is a seeker.
So this year, I will be joining a half dozen other pastors in Oak Park to offer Ashes to Go. We will stand outside El stations and Metra platforms, at the corner of Lake and Marion, and the corner of Lake and Oak Park, and we will offer people Ashes to Go.
Instead of asking them to come inside the church, we will go to them. We will hold signs and wear clerical collars and offer people a ritual of repentance, an invitation to deeper prayer.
That's how God works, isn't it? God comes to us, where we are, and touches us. We find God in places we never expected.
I hope to see you in our sanctuary at 7:00 pm on 2/22/12. But if not, maybe I'll see you on Lake Street. "Turn away from your sins, and believe the good news." God is with us.
