When I first realized that Ash Wednesday was going to fall on Valentine’s Day this year,
I thought oh! Such a paradox! This placing, side by side, of the acknowledgment of human sin and an homage/celebration of/ to human love.
And then, I thought, no, this is really wonderful. This year, on Ash Wednesday, we get to hold these two things together. We get to embrace, at the same time, our brokenness AND our beloved-ness. Which is what the God who both made us and saves us, is doing all the time. These two aspects of being human cannot be separated. Our brokenness and our beloved-ness cannot be pulled apart.
Today we begin, though, by leaning into our brokenness. Not because it’s more important, or bigger; but because until we face its reality, we cannot begin to comprehend how utterly and completely we are loved... (read more)
