is too late. A smudge of ash on the forehead reminded us, each time ǁĞ ůŽŽŬĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵŝƌƌŽƌ͕ ŽĨ ďŝŐ ƌĞĂůŝƚŝĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ǀĞƌLJ ĞĂƐLJ ƚŽ ŬĞĞƉ Ăƚ bay most of the time.
The ash, for those who received it, has long since been washed away, but hopefully the reflection to which it is bound will continue through LeŶƚ͘ /Ĩ >ĞŶƚ ŵĂƌŬƐ ĂŶ ŝŶƚĞƌƐĞĐƚŝŽŶ ŽĨ ĨĂŝƚŚ͕ ĚĞĂƚŚ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐŝŶ͕ ƚŚĞŶ ŝƚ͛Ɛ Ă good season to think about what I call in my new book The Pluralism YƵĞƐƚŝŽŶ͕ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ ǁĞ͛ƌĞ Ăůů ŬĞĞŶůLJ ĂǁĂƌĞ ůĂƚĞůLJ ƚŚĂƚ ƌĞůŝŐŝŽŶ ŝƚƐĞůĨ ĐĂŶ become a force for death and an excuse for some of the most terrible ŬŝŶĚƐ ŽĨ ƐŝŶ͘ tŚĞƚŚĞƌ ŝƚ͛Ɛ /ƐůĂŵŝƐƚ ƐƵŝĐŝĚĞ ďŽŵďĞƌƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ Žƌ ŚƌŝƐƚŝĂŶŝƐƚ ĐƌƵƐĂĚĞƌƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉĂƐƚ͕ ǁŚĞƚŚĞƌ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ŵŝůůŝŽŶƐ ŽĨ :ĞǁŝƐŚ people being exterminated in twentieth-‐century European history or millions of Native Peoples in the history of the Americas, the name of God has been a convenient excuse for people in all religions to kill ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŚŽ ĂƌĞ ƌĞůŝŐŝŽƵƐůLJ ͞ŽƚŚĞƌ͘͟
We are all creations of the same Creator. We are all fragile human beings who are someday going to die. And we are all sinners ʹ we have all fallen short of what we could have been, should have been, might have been. Does it befit fragile, mortal, fallible human beings like us, temporarily tattooed with ash on our foreheads, to play gods in passing heartless judgment on the other? Does it befit people with ash on our own faces to refuse to see in the face of the other ʹ including the religiously other, the stranger, and even the enemy ʹ the indelible mark of the image of God? Can we, for a moment during Lent, ƐĞĞ ŶŽƚ ͞ƵƐ͟ ĂŶĚ ͞ŽƚŚĞƌ͕͟ ďƵƚ ŽŶĞ ĂŶŽƚŚĞƌ͍
Brian McLaren
March 23
Third Sunday in Lent Exodus 17:1-‐7 Psalm 95 Romans 5:1-‐11 John 4:5-‐22
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Calvary Baptist Church
Lenten Devotional 2014