Ashes to Ashes

There's something profound about Ash Wednesday.  Maybe it's making the sign of the cross upon the heads of those who have struggled with serious illness and won or those who have somehow summoned the courage to come to worship after a long absence. Marking with ash the smooth skin of a toddler whose head was anointed with an oily cross just months ago or being startled by the glaring marks on the foreheads of my own children.  The community that forms on Wednesday evenings is more porous than a usual Sunday morning - more visitors, old friends, folks testing the waters after loss or disappointment, early and later service folks together, neighbors who stop by, regular worshipers sitting in unexpected places. I love serving these folks, whatever shape they take, and look forward to our Wednesday evenings together.