February 13, 2024
By Rev. Dr. Scott Field
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. A mainline church near our home has a large but, thankfully in my opinion, temporary banner on the front lawn: “Ashes to Go”. It;s an example of the recent trend for some clergy to show up at subway stations and bus stops as well as busy intersections ready to smudge the foreheads of those commuters and pedestrians who willingly come within reach.
Perhaps this effort is an attempt to “take it to the streets” or “go where the people are”. Or it might be indicative of the perennial challenge for clergy to find ways to seem relevant. Doing something odd but vaguely religious is a surefire way for pastors to distract their congregants from the weightier matters of Christian discipleship and witness. Keeping the hot topic at the Sunday Morning Social Hour on a secondary activity like the “ash and dash outreach” takes some of the pressure off pastors and congregation members alike.
To be sure, it is common for culture and Christianity to tango over which co-opts what. Holy Days become holidays; the historical St. Nicolaus becomes Santa; Easter egg hunts overtake the tradition of resurrection day worship at the local cemetery.
Not that the church has been without its own history of hijacking cultural traditions and preferences: Roman Saturnalia seems to lie behind putting the celebration of the Nativity in December and All Hallow’s Eve has some of its murky beginnings from the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain. More broadly, Christian worship has a very long history of echoing various sorts of crowd-sized secular entertainment venues and experiences.
However, Ash Wednesday, despite the Ash-and-Dash efforts, seems an unlikely candidate for cultural hijacking. Largely ignored by our culture? No doubt. Overlooked or ignored by many church members? Likely.
Methodists have had an uneasy relationship with this date on the liturgical calendar. Some like an unwelcome intruder on the way to Easter Joy (“Too Catholic, they might say/think”) while others find it out of step with the joy of victorious Christian living (“It’s just so, so sad).
How come? When the music stops, why is Ash Wednesday so often the one Christian worship experience left without a chair?
Given the wide variety of corporate worship styles and liturgical diversity, we might conclude that observing Ash Wednesday is a matter of personal preference. Of course, that is true. But I also want to suggest that many of us avoid or excuse ourselves from Ash Wednesday because it is such an affront. It has no tuneful carols like Christmas, no victory songs like Easter.
The primary liturgical action of Ash Wednesday, and the words that accompany the smudging of ashes on each individual’s forehead, are startling, evening shocking. And the two phrases spoken to us individually at the moment of the smudging are both highly, personally, blessedly, confrontational.
The first is this:
Remember that you are dust and to the dust you shall return.
This is a straightforward declaration to me that I am going to die. There is limited time to do and be whatever it is I am going to do and be. I have an expiration date. Tomorrow I will be one day closer to my “expiration day” than when I woke up this morning. There is a day coming when I will not wake up. The number of options available to distract me or coax me into denial are countless, but the clock and calendar move in only one direction for each and all of us. This phrase is in the indicative mood; it simply describes my reality. Most will avoid the topic entirely or dress it up in strange euphemisms. Only the Church, in God’s name, will tell me the truth about my situation.
Ah, but then as the ashes are smudged on my forehead, the indicative becomes the imperative; the description is followed by an invitation. Yes, this, too, is spoken to me individually, confrontationally, but it is, but it is pregnant with the offer of redemption:
Repent, and believe the gospel.
Repentance, in my understanding, is not a simply discretionary, actionable thing like giving up chocolate or French fries or cursing or binge-watching for Lent. Repentance means, in my experience, clearing away the clutter of my affinities, preferences, commitments, devotions, and allegiances enough to make room to hear, above and before the chatter of all my worries and wants, the Word of God. It is a clear-eyed facing up to the commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3-5).
Believing the gospel is betting our lives on the singular conviction that Jesus is Lord. Every other allegiance, devotion, commitment, and affinity is secondary to the primary trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord of the universe and hope of the world.
Okay, but what does this have to do with the UMC General Conference?
Much in every way. In particular, however, let’s all agree that the UMC General Conference is a political convention. Yes, I know, it is politics in the name of the church, but politics nonetheless. Though “being political” has a tarnished reputation, politics is not a bad thing. In fact, politics cannot be avoided, whether the context is government, church board meetings, or a family discussion over Thanksgiving dinner. Politics is, generally, a process focused on group decision-making related to how resources are distributed and for what purposes. So, without question, the coming UMC General Conference will be a political gathering.
And the politics of General Conference are prone to the many maladies that make “politics” a dirty word. I’ve been reminded recently of a directive from Scripture that can help us keep from devolving into the wrangling and mud-wrestling that often accompanies political conventions and conferences. This admonition from Paul the Apostle specifically addresses the “politics” of the church community:
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27 NIV).
This English translation is attempting to convey the meaning of a New Testament Greek word (politeuomai) from which we get out word, “politics”. A rough translation would be “Whatever happens, do your politicking in a way that reflects the gospel that Jesus is Lord.” Another way to translate might be, “Whatever happens, let your behavior toward one another demonstrate you are part of the gospel community.” (Many thanks to a sermon by Dr. John Dickson for underscoring that the way we engage in politics in various settings also reveals our primary devotion).
The Super Bowl last Sunday included two advertisements focused on Jesus. The tag line is simple: “Jesus – He Gets Us”.
True enough. Jesus clearly does “get” us. So it is worth noting that the first words of Jesus recorded in what is understood to be, chronologically, the first written gospel are these:
“Repent, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
Whether or not we observe Ash Wednesday, General Conference delegates, activists, and observers can take up the invitation to push back our own agendas and priorities for a moment to consider how we can align our “politicking” to demonstrate that Jesus is Lord.
It isn’t at all clear how the decisions will land and what Methodism will look like on the other side of the General Conference, but the Scriptural admonition seems especially appropriate as the focus of Methodism turns to Charlotte:
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27 NIV).
For more information about the Fair for Some Fair for All campaign of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, click here.