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Inside [of Faith Talks] are ashes. They are the ashes of palms that we once waved on Palm Sunday. They are not the ashes from the palms of Palm Sunday 2020, but palms from Palm Sundays three, four, and five years ago. They are the ashes of celebration, the ashes of a time when we were all together, singing loud hosannas. They are the ashes of joy.

Every year the ashes of Ash Wednesday are the ashes of Palm Sunday, but this year the ashes take on special significance. This year we don’t need reminders of our mortality. So perhaps this year the ashes will mean something different to us when we place them on our faces. Perhaps this year the ashes might be a reminder of the joy we once shared. A reminder of how precious and fleeting being surrounded by loved ones can be. But as always, we will wear these ashes in the shape of the cross. May that cross of ash this year be a reminder that though death may try to steal the joy of beloved community, in Christ the beloved community always rises to new and joyous life together.

So on Fat Tuesday, February 16th, 2021, I invite you to have a traditional Mardi Gras celebration in your home. If you fancy French culture, bake a Kings’ Cake! If you’re in more of a Brazilian mood, play some Samba tunes and dance around your house. If the quiet English countryside speaks more to your soul, cook up some pancakes for dinner. Have fun however you can.

And then on Ash Wednesday, February 17th, 2021, I invite you to tune into our online worship service which will be posted at 7am and available throughout the day.  During the service you will be invited to dip your thumb into the (attached) envelope and draw the sign of the cross either on the forehead of a family member or on your own forehead while you stand in front of a mirror. As you do, speak the words, “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Our joyous gatherings may be dust this year, but that dust belongs to Jesus, who will raise it once more to life.

Your Brother in Christ, Pastor Ben Colahan