Ashes to Go
 |
 |
Ashes to Go
It is particularly poignant to put ashes on a baby’s head. A new life, and yet reminding others that our lives on earth are just part of our spiritual journey. This is the first time I have put ashes on the heads of a family, a mother and her two young daughters. Then there was the man who saw us in the morning and came back in the evening to get ashes, telling us he thought it was a great idea. There was the man who smiled and said he was wondering where he would go today and took my arm while I put ashes on his forehead, clearly needing some human connection. One woman was really unsure about whether to get ashes or not. She said her tradition hadn’t given her much exposure to this practice and told us not to put too much on because she couldn’t take too much. One woman came by, got ashes and then brought two friends back. Even people who didn’t receive ashes smiled in approval. In total, we gave ashes to about 40 people, several of whom mentioned they wouldn’t get to church that day.
Ashes to Go is a time when the Episcopal Church is out in force. Several Metro stations are covered as well as other places where people gather. We are there to bring the church to the world, to remind people about Lent (one person had completely forgotten it was Ash Wednesday) and the time we have to reflect on what God did for us in Jesus. I really enjoy the contact with all different kinds of people. We even had some millennial males, an unusual category for us. But they came along with the others. Certain times of the year call forth old memories or current reverence. Hopefully, receiving the ashes did for those people what giving the ashes did for me, make me feel closer to God.
