A Word From David

Signs of the Times, and Questions for Lent

We were in Florida for a family wedding the weekend after Ash Wednesday. On the way back to our rental house following a dinner party we passed a church with a huge banner proclaiming “Abolish ICE.” It grabbed my attention, and then I noticed the Black Lives Matter banner, a trans flag, and a mural of the Last Supper depicting all of the disciples and Jesus as people of color.

Cheryl observed, “they tell you who they are, or, at least who they aspire to be.”

The visible sign of ashes imposed on the forehead says something about a person’s membership in the global Christian faith. As we journey through Lent as part of that faith, what signs are we showing that tell the wider world of our commitments as followers of Jesus? 

Western flies a Black Lives Matter banner that has seen better days. The banner has definitely suffered a bit from the elements over the five or so years that it has hung outside the entrance next to the church office. Still, even a bit weathered around the edges, it proclaims something specific about what we believe at Western.

Hosting Miriam’s and proclaiming that to the community also says something specific about the faith at Western.

What are other signs that we show to the world in order that our light shines brightly? What are signs that we could show that we don’t? How do we shine our lights visibly in the world in our day-to-day lives?