Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and many of us will go to church to be anointed with ashes. This year it seems this practice has added significance as we already feel we have ashes not just on our foreheads, but in our mouths. To the lament of COVID, economic injustice, and climate change, we have added the ashes of war in Ukraine. It is a difficult time and we all feel a heavy weight as we head into Lent.
Ash Wednesday ashes were traditionally made by burning the Palm Sunday palms from the year before, and I loved to collect a few palms, allow them to dry out over the year and then burn them for my own personal Ash Wednesday observance. However, last year you may remember, I didn’t have any palms so I burned one of my out-of-date masks instead. It wasn’t done as a protest against mask mandates or because I didn’t intend to wear masks again, even though at that point we thought that mask-wearing would soon be over. It was done in gratitude for the protection that these masks gave me from the virus.
This year as we enter the third year of mask-wearing I am burning one of my masks again. I am so grateful for the protection these masks give me, and though their impact palls into insignificance compared to that of the importance of the crosses of Palm Sunday, they are a symbol that all of us are familiar with these days. They are a symbol we can all identify with, and they are a sign of God’s protection around us and of the hope God gives us in the midst of all kinds of tragedies.
This year, I am not just burning my mask. I am using it as a token of transformation, a way to remind myself and those around me that the journey of Lent is preparing us for the beauty of Easter Sunday. And entering that beauty of the resurrection is only possible because of God’s surrounding mask-like presence.
So how will I accomplish this? This year, by creating artwork from the ashes. I found this simple recipe for paint made from ashes which you might like to experiment with, and planned to use it as my painting medium, but ended up using it more as a medium for calligraphy where I wrote the word beauty, outlined it with glue and then sprinkled the ashes on it to create the image below. At the retreat on Saturday I added the outlines to each of the letters and reflected on the ways that beauty continues to change. Now let me assure you I am not an artist, but as John O’Donohue reminds us in his book Beauty “If our style of looking becomes beautiful, then beauty will become visible and shine forth for us. We will be surprised to discover beauty in unexpected places where the ungraceful eye would never linger.” (P19) So what I hope my journey through Lent will teach me is to look at my artwork with a graceful eye that sees beauty not just in my lettering, but hidden secretly in everything I see around me and maybe I will continue to add more beauty to the lettering I created.
Beauty from Ashes
At the Finding Beauty in the Ashes of Lent retreat on Saturday Lilly Lewin introduced us to another practice that is a great one for Lent. Get some different coloured sheets of paper, then spend time reflecting on the things you are grieving. Write each one on a different coloured piece of paper. Read Isaiah 61, preferably in The Message translation which tells us that God promises “to care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion, and give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes” Now draw a simple sketch of a garment, cut your paper into strips and paste them on, making a multi-colored coat which you can use as a focus for your prayers throughout Lent – making something beautiful from the ashes of Lent.
A garment of praise from our laments and grief
If you are more artistic or like collage, you might like to paint over your garment and end up with a collage, like this instead. The image becomes your reminder of God’s ability to transform ashes into beauty.
Collage E Nordfors
You might also like to go out and buy yourself a rose or two, or even a whole bouquet as Lilly suggested in her Freerange Friday a couple of weeks ago! Let these roses be a reminder throughout Lent of the great love and hope of Jesus! Let them be a reminder that Jesus can turn even ashes into things of beauty for each of us!
Last but not least inspired by John O’Donohue’s interview on Krista Tippet’s podcast On Being, I wrote the poem below. There are so many different ways for us to express our imaginations and create graphic symbols that speak to us in both words and pictures. These symbols help us anchor our souls in the challenging journeys we are embarking on so I hope that you will take time to create your own Ashes into Beauty images in the medium you feel most comfortable with and let us journey together through Lent to a new way of looking so that we see the beauty shining forth.
Rise From the Ashes
It is strange to be here,
In the presence of the God of life,
The Holy One
Within, without, wondrously all around.
It is strange to be here,
Helping to shape the world
With our God given imaginations,
Holding onto beauty
In all things and at every moment.
Mystery, delight, wonder,
Rise from the ashes.
They never leave us,
When we always keep
Something beautiful in our minds.
(c) Christine Sine
Inspired by John O’Donohue and Blasé Pascal
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A contemplative service with music in the spirit of Taize. Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756 with additional notes below:
“Down In the River to Pray”
Traditional American spiritual, public domain
Arrangement by Kester Limner, shared under the Creative Commons License, Attribution (CC-BY)
“Within our Darkest Night (Dans Nos Obscurites)”
By J. Berthier — copyright 1991, all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
“The Lord Is My Light”
Copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
“Što Oko Ne Vidje (What No Eye has Seen)”
By the Taizé community, copyright 2010, all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé
Thank you for praying with us! www.saintandrewsseattle.org
I gather myself together
in circles of returning to you,
thinking carefully over the day,
winding around pathways of memory.
I seat myself in the evening light,
shadows flickering between
each stroke of my pen
and my growing awareness of you.
If I look at what has happened
and take a moment to wonder
about both the good and the bad,
I will find wisdom buried here.
In fact, I may pause, lay aside
all things for a time,
let everything drop, for a walk
in the darkening garden.
I listen for the last call of sunset birds
preparing for the nest,
a final snatch of insects hovering,
and the rumble of people homeward bound.
I am surrounded by you, three-natured God,
I offer my sounds, under trees –
prayers among the settling down of the earth,
beneath a welcome of stars.
I savour what you do in my moments
of feeling, living and breathing;
I offer my heart as the final song of this day,
a slow-turning surrender.
Painting from Raw Pixel by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Editor’s Note: You can find Jenneth Graser’s Prayer for the Morning here!
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by Tom Sine
“No Justification for a Brazen Invasion” declares the New York Times!
Explosions were reported in cities across Ukraine early Thursday morning after President Vladimir Putin of Russia vowed in a speech to “demilitarize” the neighboring nation…The magnitude of the Russian Gambit is staggering…an unprovoked invasion of a sovereign European state is an active declaration of war on a scale on a continent and in a century when it was thought to be no longer possible.” No Justification for Brazen Invasion” Editorial, the New York Times, February 24, 2022.
The government in Ukraine is arming civilians. Thousands of older citizens and moms with children are fleeing Ukraine. Many are praying. They need our prayers as well.
As Putin has launched this violent Russian invasion of Ukraine it is essential we recognize both the unwarranted nature of this attack and the consequences of this invasion on the lives of those who live there. It is also essential we recognize this is only the beginning of Putin’s plans to invade and take over other independent nations in Europe.
Any additional invasion into Europe by Putin will bring a military response from not only NATO but the United States as well. In other words, this ongoing aggression in Europe could tragically ignite another World War which would do much more devastating harm than simply raise our gas prices.
President Biden and leaders in Europe are immediately increasing the pain on not only Putin and the Russian economy but for Russian business executives. Those dramatic actions will also have a painful impact on the regular citizens, on ordinary Russians.
Let me take you on a quick trip back to another leader in Europe that embarked on invasions of other European counties that those of us who are over 80 can remember.
Join me for just a few moments as I invite you to travel back with me to the 1940s. That other leader in Europe was named Adolph Hitler, who was also determined to invade and capture other countries in Europe to expand his power and influence. As you know his aggression also spread into Asia.
Just before Christmas in 1941, I was 5 years old living in Twin Falls Idaho with my parents. On one bright morning on December 7, my mother Katherine pulled me up on her bed. She asked me to listen to the small radio near her bed.
I listened to a very dramatic voice declaring “This day will live in Infamy!” I was, of course, listening to President Franklin Roosevelt’s announcement. “This day of infamy!” what Roosevelt was announcing was the attack on the US Navy at Pearl Harbor. This announcement led America to become involved in the dreadful wars in both Europe and Asia.
After Christmas 1941 my dad took a job in San Francisco building ships to transport troops for this war. Moving to San Francisco was very interesting for me as a 6-year-old. However, because of World War II, our family had to get used to serious rationing of food and other consumer goods….which became the new normal.
Frankly what was much worse than rationed consumer goods was the regular air raid drills day and night. They were very unsettling for us kids…because we never knew if it was the real deal or not. After that first year of that war, we started hearing from people in our neighborhood who had sons and husbands primarily in Europe.
The reason I am sharing this personal narrative is to convey to readers a new troubling possibility. We are on the threshold of a new global military crisis that is a much bigger deal than increasing gas prices. For people in Ukraine, they are losing loved ones to this invasion every single day that Putin continues to seek to capture Ukraine and kill any who stand in his way. Huge numbers of citizens are also becoming refugees fleeing to other countries. Do remember Ukraine is only one of a number of countries in Europe that Putin has stated he intends to capture and dominate.
I encourage readers to continue to support the increasingly stronger action that President Biden is now taking in collaboration with the European Union with the strong support of both democrats and republicans in the US. We all need to ensure that this aggression in Ukraine does not expand into another larger European war.
I urge people of faith to focus on the challenges facing our neighbors in Ukraine rather than focusing on a few inconveniences we are suffering as consumers in the US. We need to not only pray for our neighbors in Ukraine we need to generously respond to the rapidly growing needs of the people in Ukraine.
I urge you to not only pray for the people but to also make contributions to organizations reaching out to those in Ukraine that are in need and those who have become refugees escaping the Russian invasion. Join those supporting Christian organizations like World Vision that are reaching out to the vulnerable people in Ukraine.
A Prayer for UKRAINE
Prayer based on Psalm 17:6-9
We call on you, our God, for you will answer us;
turn your ear to us and hear our prayer.
Show Ukraine the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Keep them as the apple of your eye;
hide them in the shadow of your wings
from the wicked who are out to destroy them,
from the mortal enemies who surround them.
hide them in the shadow of your wings.
Show them the wonders of your great love.
Fill them with your great peace. AMEN
Pray with your Cup
Grab you coffee cup and pray
Lord we pray for peace!
We pray for all who are working for peace…
For diplomats, for leaders and those standing up in the streets throughout the world.
We pray for protection, wisdom and strength.
We pray against the greed, the desire for power at all costs, and wicked destruction happening in our world.
End the violence Lord.
Help us to be peacemakers in our families, neighborhoods, and our communities today and everyday. AMEN
As you hold your cup and drink your coffee/tea today…
We know that the you Creator God hold the people of Ukraine in the palm of your hand ??
And you hold the people of Russia working for peace too.
As we hold our cups today wes pray for peace to overflow and change the hearts of those who want war.
As we hold our cup Lord God, hold onto the people who are fleeing for safety
Hold onto the people who are hiding and scared.
Hold on to those who cannot leave.
God of our refuge Be a refuge! Hold them in your Love.
We stand in the gap for our sisters and brothers in Ukraine.
We ask for miracles, Hold us and Hold them. In your Name AMEN
As you use your cup, Drink in God’s peace and continue to pray for the end of violence and for peace in Ukraine and throughout our world.
by Laurie Klein
May I start with a confession?
I hate my limp. Lately, militant arthritis is on the rampage, sidelining me from activities I’ve taken for granted. Like walking. Standing. Dancing and running.
I’m tired of foot-stabbing pains; weary of rest, elevation, and various potions. O to swap these dicey ankles, arches, and digits for the bounding gait of a deer! I miss snowshoeing alongside the local doe who leaves deep, weaving, heart-shaped tracks. Those indentations look blue as my mood.
Woebegone, restless, hoping to distract myself, I google “hooves”—and discover anatomical wonders.
Who’d ever guess deer hooves are comprised of keratin, like our fingernails? Who knew that, like our ears, they never stop growing?
Lord, use my limitations; enlarge my soul.
I also learn the deer hoof is a working trinity.
- Compact horn absorbs shock.
- Elongated, cloven toes function like our middle and ring finger.
- Dew claws enhance agility, like our pointer and pinky.
Three-in-One God, thank you for hands that still work.
Hooves also reduce contact with the ground, lessening friction. Enhancing speed. And exactitude. Braving a cliff or rugged terrain, a deer only needs two stable footings at a time: Smaller back hooves naturally track with those up front.
Help me follow in your steps, Lord. Be my balance, my surefooted joy.
But how does the soul—limping or hale—make headway when facing crippling pain and dismay? When praying for suffering people, a struggling planet?
Perhaps you feel it too. During these times of violent uprisings and moral decline, our equilibrium falters.
Remembering the verse about “hind’s feet in high places,” I reread Habakkuk. The minor 7th-century prophet expresses his frustration concerning the lack of justice in the land, God’s seeming inaction. Turns out Habakkuk is echoing David’s words, first recorded in 2 Samuel 22:34 and Psalm 18:33. Expressing his backlog of complaints helps him forge ahead, with a fresh outlook. It gives me a lift, too.
“. . . yet I will rejoice in the LORD,” Habakkuk writes, “I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:18, 19a, NIV).
How marvelous that, long ago, God embedded this truth within nature. Hooves enable pivots, when needed. They work in tandem with the ingenious “springing ligament,” which pulls taut, then snaps backward as the deer goes airborne, supercharging grace with power.
Soul, never forget: your God invented leaping.
I won’t be making any 8-foot jumps over obstacles in my path. I’ll never hit 40 mph. I can’t solve the world’s myriad woes. But the deer remind me that, in Christ, the soul can spring—even sitting down.
What keeps your soul nimble during rough times?
John Michael Talbot sings Hind’s Feet on High Places
Deer feeding: Photo by Jonnelle Yankovich on Unsplash
Deer leaping: Photo by Matthijs van Heerikhuize on Unsplash
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by Sue Duby
While most of my days “unfold” without a fully scripted agenda, Friday mornings are different. My phone calendar chimes with a non-negotiable, every-week coffee date with “history friend” Joanne. A “must-do.” A place to swap family updates. Moments to confess places where our hearts, relationships, and personal journeys need “tweaking.” 3 hours of chatter, while sipping lattes. Laughing . . . a lot. Exercising my verbal processing, until I have few words left (I later tell Chuck with a smile, “I saved you from lots of listening!!”).
Last week, Joanne tossed out our “ponder question” for the week. “I’m reading a book that talks about flourishing. What does that mean anyway?”
Immediately, I pictured my garden. Thanks to hours of digging, dumping yards of compost and mulch, repairing irrigation lines, and ripping out tired plants, our buddy Mitch paved the way for us to create. Now, anything we plant grows without effort, blooms like crazy, and makes me smile. Flourishing.
Grandsons on the baseball field. Stealing bases like jackrabbits. Slugging a few home runs. Cheering on teammates. All “spill over” from the foundation of a secure and safe home, Dad’s encouraging words, and coaches focused on character over success. Flourishing.
Morgan with her creative design business. Birthed from crazy, bold steps. Leaving a secure job to travel the globe for a year of missions training. Returning with a vision to champion “redemptive brands” that give back. Matching her designs and client needs with passion, heart, and soul. Following whispers from Him along the way, in growing trust. Flourishing.
Then. . .Joanne’s challenge. “So . . . when have you felt that you flourished?” I wrestled against my first thought for a moment, then blurted out – ”My season as Operations Director on a medical ship in Caribbean!!!” One of the all-time most challenging, crazy, “pull out my hair” eighteen months of my entire life. Hurricane evacuations (two), engine failures (close to rocks, stuck on an island), crew shortages, drydock escapades, and perpetual out-of-control days. And yet, in the midst of it all, a sense of “firing on all cylinders”, creating, organizing, thriving with the unknowns, and clinging to Him for wisdom every single moment. Acutely aware of His presence, grace and protection at all times. Flourishing.
Flourishing happens when “a particularly favorable environment” produces healthy and vigorous growth or development. It makes sense when I dig in my rich garden soil or watch grandsons nurtured by loving parents. But, when life is hard, when my footing feels wobbly, when challenges feel overwhelming . . . how am I to still flourish?
Perhaps, it’s not what we do to create space for flourishing or what we can see that makes us feel secure and ready to charge ahead. Flourishing moments are not defined by “I did this, I succeeded here, I won this award, people noticed me here.” Instead, it’s all about WHO is with me, always paving the way with love, coupled with my choice to listen, follow and trust Him. Where I choose to firmly hold on to Him as my solid anchor. Then, the moments are ripe for flourishing!
What delight comes to the one who follows God’s ways!
He won’t walk in step with the wicked,
nor share the sinner’s way,
nor be found sitting in the scorner’s seat.
2 His passion is to remain true to the Word of “I AM,”
meditating day and night on the true revelation of light.
3 He will be standing firm like a flourishing tree
planted by God’s design,
deeply rooted by the brooks of bliss,
bearing fruit in every season of life.
He is never dry, never fainting,
ever blessed, ever prosperous.
Back to that attentive listening ear and a heart that continually asks, “Lord, show me, today. . .Your way!” Pondering and choosing to follow. Then, He “plants” us, enabling us to stand firm (my own efforts to “stand firm” never seem to last!). From that planting, we “yield . . . fruit in its season” (NIV). We flourish.
Matthew Henry paints a delightful picture of those who “follow” Him:
“. . . they bring forth their fruit (that which is required of them), in due season, when it is most beautiful and most useful, improving every opportunity of doing good and doing it in its proper time.” Matthew Henry
Waiting and patience – a part of the journey. His timing of that season (Father really does know best!) coupled with His knowledge of our “frame” (He crafted us each uniquely) leads to our flourishing at just the right moments.
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
May we continue to listen, trust and follow Him, as we delight in fresh, flourishing moments.
It’s not too late! Just a few days left to sign up for THIS Saturday’s Lenten retreat! Join Christine Sine and Lilly Lewin as we learn to lay down our grief and gather our joys through the journey of Lent. This retreat will be LIVE via zoom from 9:30 am PT to 12:30 pm PT. Click here for more details or to sign up!
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