Ash Wednesday, 2011

The horizon—the color of ashes—promises a storm. The muddled snow, which had been melting, is arrested by the returning cold.

Lent, a somber season, seems the practice even of my leafless gray and brown northern landscape. Not a hint of indulgence, celebration, or color can be seen.

“What are you giving up for Lent?” can be heard in even casual conversations, between people who normally give religion wide topical berth, as if picking up again last month’s chatter about New Year’s resolutions. We give up things we really never needed anyway, but like those resolutions, our Lenten disciplines may fall aside before Good Friday arrives.

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Other Lenten reflections from the archives:

Ash Wednesday

I’ll be a part of this year’s Common English Bible Lenten Blog tour. The tour includes some phenomenal writers, and I’m honored to be a part of it. Learn more here: http://www.lentenblogtour.com.