03-19-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
March 19, 2024
Sunday evening, after the Board Meeting and a couple of hospital visits, I ran to the grocery store. I was still dressed in my dark purple dress shirt from Sunday morning, and as I was walking out, an older woman smiled at me and said, “You must be a Lent Boy.” “Why yes,” I told her, “and I was in worship this morning for the fifth Sunday of Lent” (dark purple is the color associated with the Season of Lent). She smiled and went on her way. Later, I wondered if I understood her correctly. I think so, but is “Lent Boy” slang for something? Was there a bunch of drier lint hanging from my pants leg? I was standing near the herb plants just outside the door. Was she making a request, “Mint! Boy,” asking if I’d bring her some mint? All joking aside, I think she was speaking about the Season of Lent, and purple is part of the symbolism of the Season. In Joshua 4, the Israelites crossed the Jordan and entered the Promised Land. God invited the people to take rocks from the Jordan, making a pile along the shore as a reminder of what God had done. On one level, it was just a pile of rocks. But symbols point beyond themselves, serving as both a reminder and a catalyst. Dark purple was just such a symbol on Sunday night for a woman entering the grocery store, and as people of faith, we need to surround ourselves with the symbols that will remind us of who we are and serve as a catalyst for what we have been called to do.

For every little symbol or source of encouragement, I give you thanks, O God, who invites us all to the way of faithfulness. We need all the help we can get, so we do appreciate the little hints and nudges along the way. Amen.