Ash Wednesday Reflection - Lent Journal 2015 (Entry 1) - Wearing The Cross
It’s Ash Wednesday but I don’t belong to an orthodox church.
So, instead of getting the sign of the cross drawn on my forehead with ash today,
I settled for putting on a cross necklace.
“To the old rugged cross, I will ever be true. Its’ shame
and reproach gladly bear.” – The Old Rugged Cross
I had not thought of the old song for a long time. Yet, as I
fumbled around in the bathroom getting ready this morning, the melody drifted
up from somewhere within me surprising me with the knot that rushed to my
throat as the lyrics floated across my mind. That knot stayed wedged
there as I later fastened on my necklace and it stubbornly persisted through the
whole day until I was finally able to take the time to hide away and give it my
attention.
So many thoughts were jumbled up in my head today – images
and sound bites from the news mixed with lines from on-line articles, blogs and
memories of my childhood and college years kept bumping into each other and
rearranging themselves over and over again trying to thread a meaningful
narrative. There is something to understand and something to share…something to
express but what and how and when?
I’m not totally sure what there is to understand or share
yet but I think the time is now. So, this is me celebrating Lent this year. I’m taking a writing journey and inviting all
who will to come along with me. My subject is the cross.
The cross - the cross - the cross
I could not get those 21 men off my mind. There was something missing…something I needed to
understand. It was hard to find the full video footage but I wanted to hear the
speech in total because there were lines I did not understand and something in
me needed to try. Most of the news
organizations only played a short segment of what was said. Something in me
also needed to study the faces of those 21 men again. I wanted to acknowledge
them and reverence them.
The setting was
strangely peaceful. You hear the sound of the ocean tide before you see the 21
men escorted along the shore in orange jumpsuits, each accompanied by a masked jihadist
dressed in black. A line was formed with the men all facing the camera and
then, on signal, each of the men were simultaneously directed to their knees. The
designated spokesman distinguished from the others by his camoflage attire was also masked. Pointing a
large knife towards the camera, he began his speech.
"Oh people, recently
you've seen us on the hills of Al-Sham and on Dabiq's Plain, chopping off the heads that had been
carrying the cross delusion for a long time, filled with spite against Islam
and Muslims, and today we… are sending another message: oh crusaders, safety
for you will be only wishes especially when you're fighting us all together,
therefore we will fight you all together until the war lays down its burdens
and Jesus, peace be upon him, will descend, breaking the
cross, killing the swine. The sea you've hidden Sheikh Osama Bin Laden's body in, we swear to Allah we
will mix it with your blood."
The cross – the cross – the cross
That’s what I couldn’t get out of my head. I know the video was intended to
scare me but it conjured up a number of other thoughts and feelings, instead.
I was sad - sad that they do not know the blessing of the cross and instead
think it is a “delusion”. I was sad
because they don’t know the cross and if they knew the cross…if they really
knew the reality of the cross…it would change everything and mean everything to
them.
The cross – the cross – the cross
“A message signed in blood to the nation of the cross” That was the title
of the video.
Who is the nation of the cross? Did he really just mean Rome? Isn’t the
church the nation of the cross. Whether we are in Italy or Germany or America
or Australia or Egypt, aren’t we the nation of the cross?
I also felt sad that the spokesman thought these people who carry around
the cross “delusion” also carried around spite for Islam and Muslims. True people of the cross do not carry around
spite for Islam and Muslims. They carry around pity and compassion and sometimes
fear, distrust or frustration - depending on what version of Islam or what
Muslims they are in contact with but not spite. In that part of the world, I
would imagine there might also be some anger and hurt, especially if a loved
one has been killed by a follower of Islam but spite is not the right word. No, I think the most fitting word is “pity”.
Christians have pity for Muslims who do not know the blessing of the cross. We
are sad that the cross divides us because we know and we believe that the cross
is for both of us and it is meant to unite us. So, we are sad and angry when
lives are engulfed and swallowed up in evil hatred….whether that evil is engulfing
the victim or the perpetrator because we know God’s desire is to engulf both of those
lives in love.
I also felt admiration and pride for those Christian brothers as they knelt
on that beach to say their final prayers and a stronger affection for the cross and the church across the world. I felt a deeper connection to the cross as I went to sleep with the sound of the ocean still echoing in my mind.
The last image that is show is of a bloody ocean. I thought of Christ who shed his
blood to cleanse sin from all of our lives…even the sin from the bloodstained
hands of those 21 men who removed those cross filled heads from the bodies that
had served them.
Did anyone ever tell them that the cross was for them too? At least Franklin Graham did last night. He
told them that there was an easier way. He told them that they could be forgiven. I am grateful for his boldness and his
compassion to speak the truth in love with the short amount of time he had on the air.
