Happy Ash Wednesday?

Repentance does not have to be a drudge.

I like to think of myself as a happy person.

I like to be happy. Being happy makes me feel good and I would guesss if they themselves are not having a happy day.

I love to sing Happy Birthday to family and friends on their birthdays. It is not uncommon for me to leave an obnoxious voicemail for family and friends on their birthdays. I love to share the happiness of the day with memes and GIFS on social media. (By the way, make sure you wish a Happy Birthday to Taylor. Nothing says Happy Birthday like remembering your mortality).

When Christmas comes to town I prefer to say “Happy Christmas” over “Merry Christmas.” This decision is twofold. First, saying “Happy Christmas” is something our friends on the other side of the pond do and well, it makes me feel more cultured. Second, I love the movie Love Actually and since it takes place in London during Christmas, saying “Happy Christmas” makes me feel as though I am in the movie.

Today we mark the beginning of Ash Wednesday by marking ourselves. More specifically, Christians around the world today are gathered together to worship - some in sanctuaries and chapels, others in coffee shops, parks, and subway stations. I am not here to re-litigate “ashes to go” or “drive-thru ashes.” This morning my social media feed began to fill, as I knew it would, with selfies of folks (mostly clergy) with well-placed and manicured crosses on their foreheads.

I’ll just leave this here - “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in Heaven.” - Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 6:1

Captioned with many of the cross-selfies was this - “Happy Ash Wednesday.”

Happy Ash Wednesday? Really?