Ash Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2005

A small group met at The Basement at 8 PM on Ash Wednesday for a self-guided worship / prayer / meditation time.

Before gathering around the communion  table and sharing the mark of the cross with ashes burnt from Palm Sunday palms, folks took the opportunity to pray and meditate at six different stations set up around our worship space.

Some of the stations were familiar, such as our basin with pebbles to "let go." The focus this evening was to meditate on what we need to let go of this Lent to make the next 40 days a journey into deeper love and discipleship with Jesus.

One station was simply to take any chair and meditate, reflect, and rest while on all of the screens artist's depictions of Jesus were scrolling continuously throughout the evening.  Some ancient icons, some modern paintings, and even abstract depictions of Jesus and his passion allowed us to sink fully into God's presence as we contemplate this season of reflection and penitence.

Three new stations were added that will remain available throughout Lent.

One was a large round table with crosses of all different shapes an sizes on it.  They stand as symbols that not only is Lent a commemoration of Jesus' journey towards Jerusalem and a cross, but it is also a journey for each of us towards the Cross.  Reflecting on Mark's words, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" allowed everyone the opportunity to reflect on the cost of our discipleship and faith.  The pieces of parchment on the table were available for offerings to be written down as symbols of our journey and then taken to a new station called the "offering cross."

The "offering cross" is a wooden cross on a low table with a kneeling rug in front of it.  Of the same design as the other crosses in our worship space, this one has a removable top where prayers, offerings, and reflections can be placed inside of it.  At some later time this year, all of the offerings put into that cross will be lacquered and will become a communal "finish" on the outside of that cross to symbolize our common call as a community to find our unity, sustenance, and life in our identification with the Lord we worship and serve.

A prayer board was set up with the beginnings of various prayers and where all present could add specifics to "build" communal prayers which we will use in our worship liturgy these next few weeks.  Not only was it refreshing to be able to pray for others needs and desires while they were being added to the board, but those in turn led many to further prayers themselves that were offered on behalf of our entire community.

The final "new" prayer station for this year's Lenten season is one that guides us through Jesus words in Luke 6: 46-49: "I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them.  That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.  When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house."   By reflecting on a series of pots with supports holding fragile eggs, one can meditate on our need for a solid spiritual foundation and honestly ask:  "how is my foundation right now?"  Wet sand that looks firm but will dry out?  Dry sand that will not hold up anything?  Or hard concrete?  And depending on my honest answer in the quiet of the moment here, what do I need to ask God for during this Lenten season to "shore up" my spiritual foundation?

These will remain available throughout Lent until we reset the room for Holy Week.

Stephanie Street was one of the small group that gathered this evening, and she has posted her reflections on her blog here.  Perhaps she describes the evening as well as anyone can.