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The Oklahoma United Methodist Contact
February 14, 2024
Repenting on Date Night BY DEVON KRAUSE
I
met my wife on Ash Wednesday in 2007, so it’s funny when it falls on Valentine’s Day. Pair that with my silly/sarcastic personality, I often joke with her that instead of putting a cross on her head I’m going to put at a heart. (cue the eye roll) Plus, it isn’t difficult to find a nice Ryan Gosling meme for such an occasion, like the one shared with this article. Ash Wednesday has deep meaning within the traditions of the church, but it can be hard to explain to the person you see standing
Wednesday that we forget to in line at a restaurant after the evaluate what it means for us worship service. When you can tell they see the sign of the cross personally. Instead, we might find ourselves focusing more on on your head and wonder what the need for others to repent of it means, what do you say? I something. It’s kind of like when might be tempted to reply with I write a sermon for someone in something like “the ashes are particular and then they don’t a sign of our mortality and our show up…maybe that sermon need for repentance.” was actually for me and I needed them to not show up to realize The only it… maybe I needed to repent problem is that those are of the assumptions I’m carrying about them. theological In the book Leadership and words and Self-Deception, the authors talk its entirely possible that about the box we put ourselves those words in relationship with others. Although the book is oriented won’t help towards working relationships deepen the conversation. I found several correlations to working with other Christians. It can At one point the author says, be easy “A little knowledge can be a as church leaders to get dangerous thing…you can use fixated on the this material to blame just as well as you can use anything else. theological Merely knowing the material language doesn’t get you out of the box. around Living it does. And we’re not important moments like Ash Director of Communications: Joseph Harris Multimedia & Web Manager: Andrew Himes Editor of Publications: Jena Barber Communications Specialist: Tabitha Beckman
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