Theology & Culture

This Ash Wednesday, I can’t do ‘Ashes to Go’ or ‘#Ashtag’

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ashtag-selfie-ashwed-churchmojo-squareThis morning a blogger and writer that I like to read and whom I respect, David R Henson, posted an insightful blog post about the problems with #AshTag.

As I prepare for Ash Wednesday, my own thoughts have been swirling around how to approach and understand this first day of Lent. As David considered the problem of Ash Wednesday selfies posted to social media using the hashtag #AshTag, one line in particular caught my attention.

“The systemic push within the church for Ash Wednesday selfies is an exercise in whistling past graveyards.”

Needless to say, I won’t be posting an Ash Wednesday selfie (one would think that Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras would be the big selfie night).

AshestoGo4But another Ash Wednesday innovation that I have surprised myself by not being terribly interested in is ‘Ashes to Go.’ Ashes to go is where clergy go out to street corners and subway platforms to offer ashes to those passing by. Often clergy do this in full vestments.

I am all for getting out in the world. I totally agree that churches need to look beyond themselves for ways to connect with the world around them (see my last post). And I would never claim that the intentions behind these two practices(?) are not well-intentioned. Nor would I say that Ashes to Go, in particular, doesn’t produce some amazingly powerful encounters between clergy and folks about town.

But there is just something missing for me.

Again David Henson makes the point:

“The whole world saw Christians standing on the virtual street corner praying and making their fasts public spectacles. We did the exact thing the Gospel for the day asked us not to.”

For me, Ash Wednesday has a deeper context.

A few years ago, during a shared Ash Wednesday service with another congregation, I got to watch a good friend and colleague place ashes on the forehead of his six-year-old son. It was a powerful moment for this parent to have to declare to his own son, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

This year, I will put ashes on my own infant son’s forehead and speak those words.

And over the past 6 years of ministry, I have scattered ashes and sand on many caskets. I have uttered the words “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust” over the bodies of those who have died of painful, fast-acting cancer, over murder victims, over those who have taken their own life, over children, over those who have suffered for years with diseases like Parkinson’s or MS. The ashes are real in these moments, they aren’t just symbolic.

For me, the ashes are not to be taken lightly.

For me, the ashes are a reminder of my own tenuous mortality.

For me, the ashes cannot be separated from confession, from Gospel, from Eucharist.

For me, the ashes are not mine to give, but it is the church’s job, our job to receive them.

This is not to say that I would refuse anyone ashes tomorrow night. I wouldn’t.

But Ash Wednesday is the church’s chance to confess, to admit our failures, to declare that we are dead, that our bodies, blood, sweat and tears – that even our buildings and budgets –  will all be ash one day.

And I cannot deliver that message in 30 seconds on a street corner.

Perhaps, I could stand on a street corner in full vestments make confession to strangers and ask passersby to put ashes on my forehead. Maybe ‘Ashes to Go’ would make sense to me then.

But more importantly, I can’t leave Ash Wednesday at the ashes. I can’t just stop at the part where I am dead. I have to hear the Good News. I have to hear that God makes me alive. That God makes us alive.

And as a preacher, I need to preach that news too. I need to invite the Ashen Assembly to the table of the Lord, to receive the bread and wine that makes our dry bones and ashes come to life.

To me, smiling goofily into my smart phone for an #AshTag selfie, or standing on a street corner in my vestments handing out fast food ashes has missed an important part of Ash Wednesday.

The reality that we are really dead, like body-in-a-casket-being-lowered-into-a-grave dead.

And the reality that only God can make us alive.

The thing is, we need Ash Wednesday, all of it.

And the ashes aren’t really the point.

What is Ash Wednesday for you? Have you received Ashes to Go or have you #AshTag-ed? What was your experience? Share in the comments, or one the Facebook Page: The Millennial Pastor or on Twitter: @ParkerErik

86 thoughts on “This Ash Wednesday, I can’t do ‘Ashes to Go’ or ‘#Ashtag’”

  1. Having been RC then “born again” protestant, and now a liturgical Anglican, I really appreciate this post. For one, for the first time in my life, I appreciate the solemnity of receiving ashes and communion. I hadn’t heard of these “drive-by ashings” before I read this and it’s kind of appalling. While I don’t think that liturgy is the end all, be all of forms of worship, I do believe that it should be taken seriously. Anything worth doing, is worth taking the time to do well. I always tell people that if they don’t have time to eat healthy foods during the day, then they should take a close look at their priorities and the same goes for your faith. If you do’t have time to go to church and reflect on Christ at least once a week or for a special service, then perhaps you should be re-evaluating the status of your faith and relationship with Christ. I often poke fun at some of the stuff we do but I also see it’s sacredness and appreciate the rhythm it has given to my faith life. Thank you again!

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  2. Reblogged this on imperfectly simple and commented:
    Came across this in my feed about Ash Wednesday. I hadn’t heard of this but really appreciated his thoughts on this. If you can’t take the time to go to a service for the faith you profess to believe in, then perhaps you should re-evaluate your priorities. Again. It’s a running theme for me. What are your priorities? Are you living them? If not, then do something about it!!

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  4. I agree with this article, people today believe that once you have your ashes you can give up something for 6 weeks and go back to your normal life. But people do not realise today that ashes have a deeper meaning you yourself and to your faith. It would be impossible to teach people this for 30 seconds on a street corner. I loved reading the article thank you 🙂

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  9. i like #ashtag! heheh..

    just some thought…
    bringing the ashes out to the streets will help people be reminded of the lenten season

    but i think people dont see this tradition as they used to before.

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    1. I think Ashes to Go could work like this if clergy and church folk had the regular habit of going out into the streets on different festival days. But this seems like the only day each year, which is odd to me.

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      1. maybe its the start then? hihi. i mean carols during christmas season may have started this way. except that christmas is a joyous celebration hence it is easier to go about and be “festive”.

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  13. This post is great! Ashes to go might be a bit controversial, facetious and a “quick-fix” but on the other hand It can also be seen as a means of modern day marketing for God and the Church. The more people see and recognize, the more they understand and maybe chose to enlighten and educate themselves. I think what matters is our individual relationships and connections with God. We cant hide or pretend with Him.

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  21. I’m not Catholic, but I was raised in Catholicism by family in which the Catholic traditions go back generations. I participated in all the sacraments from first reconciliation to confirmation. I was a server during Mass, and went to catechism afterwards each Sunday. I left the church at about 14 when I suppose you could say I had a crisis in faith. I don’t really have a label on what I believe because it’s very eclectic and fluid changing based on my spiritual needs. That being said I was at first appalled by the idea of #Ashtag and “drive by” ashes. It might sound strange but I always looked forward to Ash Wednesday as a child. The idea that we were all nothing but dirt and ashes imbued with life by the Grace of God was one of the few things that rang true to me down to my soul. Instead of solemnity I felt utter joy at humanity being dirt and ash because it meant that we were all the same, connected to and of the earth and thus every living being that exists on our beautiful blue planet. It reminded me of the connection that we have with each other. Having the ashes placed on my forehead showed to those around me that I accepted our connection, and though we may be strangers, I was ready to share their life if they let me. I learned later that this wasn’t how it was viewed by all. Having this boiled down to the bare bones through social media and ashes to go seemed, at first thought, to defeat the purpose and lessen the connection. However, on second or third thought, I realized that, while it may lessen the realization of that connection, at the very least it is conforming to our full busy lives to take a moment to stop. Just stop. When otherwise one might not have because of obligations to work and family and that there’s a time limit on when services are available at church. To me it’s far more desirable to take more than just a moment to feel the Grace in all of us, but I do understand that our world is changing rapidly and the church must keep up so that traditions, though altered, may continue to be carried on through the generations. I enjoyed your article and thought to share a viewpoint from someone of nonChristian faith.

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  22. If you seek your reward on this rock then you get it at the price of losing your heavenly reward. I do Ash Wednesday but its a personal journey. Its me and God . Making a big show in public can come off with a circus type appearance. Witnessing is best done one on one when working a street mission.

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