Seeker

I'm trying to keep Lent simple. Am I giving anything up? That's private. Am I taking anything on? That's my business - but I will share one thing I intend to do during Lent - try to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. To help me I will look out something each day to be thankful for, however insignificant. Once I've noticed it I will tell you about it here.  Today I am grateful for dust and ashes. Does that sound weird? And why have I chosen an image of an Alexander rose to illustrate this post? Well, it reminds me that after his cremation my father's ashes were strewn in the rose garden of the crematorium grounds. So when his body was of no further use to him, an Alexander, it was used to grow beautiful roses. And in our garden today sit the ashes of our last bonfire. Later I will spread these around the flower beds, to help condition the soil and nourish new life. In God's economy nothing is ever wasted and the most surprising new life can spring from the m...

What matters most to you? When faced with terminal illness, the fatalities of a disaster, or attend a funeral, we're reminded of human frailty, the brevity of life. Sometimes that creates a determination to make the most of life or make things better for others. Today Lent begins, a time to re-focus on what matters most, a time for honest appraisal of who we are and what God calls us to be. If you take part today in an Ash Wednesday service which includes the imposition of ashes, you will be invited to receive a stark reminder of who you are with words like these, "remember that you are dust,   and to dust you shall return." The sign drawn with ash on the forehead is more than a sign of penitence and a symbol of mortality, it's a sign of hope. The ash (mixed with oil) is drawn in the shape of a cross, the sign of Christ, a badge of discipleship and reminder of his death for the sins of the whole world. Words like these are also said over each person receivin...