Ashes To Go seems to be gaining momentum, doesn’t it? I confess that I started this Ash Wednesday dubious about this increasingly popular Episcopalian phenomenon, thinking haughtily that it’s important that people make a personal commitment to cross the threshold of a church, a sacred space, just like I do, to repent of their sins and begin this holy season.
But throughout this day, I’ve come to embrace the way Episcopalians have hit the streets (kind of like the Baha’i used to do with their roses at airports, remember?) to share our faith, some smudgy dust, a bit of Scripture, to help others begin to grasp the beauty of Lent, and ultimately, the life-altering promise that Christianity offers.
This video, shot last year, explains the reasoning behind this well. And here’s a report about how Ashes to Go went today on the streets of Philadelphia. And a great photo roundup of Bishop Mariann Budde and Fr. Nathan Humphrey smudging the foreheads of commuters in Washington, D.C. And an inspiring story from the Charlotte Observer.