Sacramental Living

This is the first Lenten season I’ve been unable to take large chunks of time for prayer and reflection. Having been in “professional ministry” (whatever that is) for the last many years, I was able to take half-days and whole days for reflection, silence, and meditation.

During previous Lents, I have been able to move beyond repentence to cherishing the simple truth of God’s presence. This year, however, I have stayed in confession mode … and I haven’t tried to move beyond it. But this has been ok.

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Here is the prayer I’m praying this day:

Marked by Ashes

Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
halfway back to committees and memos,
halfway back to calls and appointments,
halfway on to next Sunday,
halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
half turned toward you, half rather not.

This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes —
we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
of failed hope and broken promises,
of forgotten children and frightened women,
we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.

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This is a continuation of Sin and Facial Hair 2 and Sin and Facial Hair 1.

Martin Luther once wrote:

“Original sin is in us, like the beard. We are shaved today and look clean, and have a smooth chin; tomorrow our beard has grown again, nor does it cease growing while we remain on earth.”

Over 3 weeks in growing the beard now.  I’ve sort of plateaued with most of it.  The gotee area continues to grow nicely.

Heather tells me she hopes I keep the beard and don’t cut it come Easter.  I really don’t know what to make of that!

The growth is uneven.  Just like my life, there are areas where sin can grow quite easily and some areas that will rarely if ever see sin.

This whole exercise has me thinking about original sin.

Could pride simply be my constant desire to trust myself and my ways rather than God and God’s ways?  Is this the basest form of all sin?

Do I tend toward trusting in myself because I don’t want to become little … to become nothing … to be totally dependent on God alone?

I am attempting to “do” less in regards to faith.  That is to say, when I try to “accomplish” less, I tend to trust God more.  It’s at those times I’m closer to the center of God’s will.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Do you struggle with trusting yourself rather than God?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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