No time to attend Ash Wednesday services? Some Arkansas churches are offering ashes to go.
In Siloam Springs, the Rev. Stan McKinnon, pastor of Grace Episcopal Church, will be at Pour Jon’s coffeehouse with ashes on and off throughout the day, while in Little Rock, clergy and volunteers from St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and San Damiano Ecumenical Catholic Church will join forces to offer ashes to go.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of reflection and repentance leading up to Easter. Worship services often include the imposition of ashes, in which the minister or priest smudges each worshipper’s forehead with ashes, usually in the sign of the cross.
“The ashes are a reminder of our mortality,” McKinnon said. “You are acknowledging the fact that you are not God. You are created from the dust of the earth and are depending on someone greater than you.”
The ashes are traditionally made by burning the palm fronds that were used during the previous year’s Palm Sunday services. The fronds are burned on Shrove Tuesday so the ashes will be ready for services the following day.
Shrove Tuesday, also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, was historically the last day for Christians to confess their sins before the season of Lent began. It was also a time to party and rid the house of fat, butter and rich foods that were forbidden during the fasting of Lent. Fasting in some fashion is still a part of the season for many Christians, with some abstaining from a favorite treat or activity, while others follow a strict fast.
McKinnon said Ash Wednesday services for Episcopalians fol-low the liturgy outlined in the Book of Common Prayer. The services include not only the imposition of ashes, prayers and blessings but also a celebration of the Eucharist - the sharing of the Lord’s Supper. The on-the-go version is much shorter, and doesn’t include the Eucharist, but the imposition of the ashes holds the same significance.
“For those of us who are in the liturgical tradition, we see ourselves symbolically walking with Jesus through his life throughout the church year,” McKinnon said. “Lent is a time when we walk with Jesus toward Good Friday and on to the celebration of Easter. It’s time for us to reflect on our own lives, our mortality and our need for God and our faith community.”
This will be the third year St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and San Damiano Ecumenical Catholic Church have partnered for ashes to go. They will put up signs along Pleasant Ridge Road and set up a tent in a parking lot at Pleasant Ridge West.
The Rev. Lisa Hlass, associate priest at St. Michael’s, said the first year about 60 motorists stopped by for ashes or blessings.
“They were surprised and joyful that it was there,” Hlass said. “It was received as a gift. People unable to go to services that day who had hoped to were especially grateful.”
Last year about 100 motorists got ashes to go or simply a blessing. Hlass said the idea for ashes to go originated in Chicago in 2010 and spread to become an international outreach. She said it shows that “God meets us not just in worship or in a building but in the midst of everyday life.”
Grace Episcopal Church offered the ashes to go option at the coffee shop for the first time last year. The congregation has two services at the church on Ash Wednesday and parishioners are encouraged to attend one, but for those who can’t make it, ashes to go is a convenient alternative. It’s also an outreach to the community, McKinnon said.
McKinnon said response to last year’s ashes to go was overwhelmingly positive.
“People would come in and get coffee and I was off in a corner with a sign, the ashes and people would say ‘What are you doing?’” he said. “I would explain the season of Lent and what Ash Wednesday is and ask them if they would like a blessing. Almost no one turned me down.”
McKinnon said he has a brochure to hand out that explains the significance of Ash Wednesday for those unfamiliar with it, but for those who follow the liturgical seasons of the church no explanation is needed.
“People who are part of the parish just pop in to get ashes to go,” he said.
The process is quick - an explanation of Ash Wednesday, the imposition of ashes and a prayer.
McKinnon said Lent is a “spiritual vacation” in some ways - a time to try spiritual practices that differ from the day-to-day routine.
“There’s a regeneration when you do that - to refocus on your life and do acts that are spiritual disciplines you might not do throughout the year.”
Ashes to go by Grace Episcopal Church will be available 8:30-9:30 a.m., 1-2 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday at Pour Jon’s, 223 N. Wright St., Siloam Springs. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and San Damiano Ecumenical Catholic Church will offer ashes to go 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Pleasant Ridge West, 11600 Pleasant Ridge Road, Little Rock.
More information is available online at gracesiloam.org and at stmichaels-church.org.
Religion, Pages 12 on 03/01/2014