Day 1: Broken

Last night we took the kids to ash Wednesday service. I'm always nervous -- a serious, solemn, reflective service right at bedtime most typically spells stress and disaster. We arrived to find a darkened room, stations with symbols, candles. The pastor greeted us and handed us a booklet explaining that the first half of service was a self-guided tour through reflective stations.

Water
Oil
Clay
Ashes
The Cross

These are fairly heavy symbols to explain to a 4 year old but for whatever reason, I decided to take on the challenge. Here is the summary of my conversations with Eddie throughout the service:

Water: We dipped our hands in the baptismal font and talked about baby Dylan's recent baptism - a special bath where God marks you and seals you, names you and makes a claim on your life. When we touch water, we get clean.

Oil: A long time ago, they used to put oil on the heads of the new kings to show that they were special. Now we put oil on the head of each person to show that they are special to God.

Clay: "What happens when we squish the clay?" It changes. That's right and with clay we can make any shape we want. If we are open to listen to God, he can make us into any kind of person he wants us to be.

Ashes: This one was tough. I looked at that innocent face who is so full of questions about the world. I just couldn't tell him that we would all become dust. So pondering it a moment, I said -- These are ashes. Eventually everything breaks. Toys break. Cars break. People break. We put ashes on our forehead to remember that everything can get broken.

The Cross: The cross station had little pieces of fabric that were to be ripped during confession and placed on the cross. "Eddie, why do we have a cross here?" "Because God was on the cross" "Do you know why?" "Tell me." "Because he loves us and doesn't want us to stay broken."

We took fabric and went to our seats. Eddie was engaged and asked what they fabric meant. And, in explaining this to Eddie, he put the pieces together:

Once, a long time ago there was a big curtain. God was on one side of the curtain and people were on the other side of the curtain. But God didn't want to be separated from the people so he ripped the curtain. Sometimes we do things that aren't very nice and that makes God sad, but when we say sorry to God it makes him happy and we rip the curtain between us and God so that we can be together.

Eddie was quiet.

Mom, was Jesus broken on the cross?

Yep, Jesus was in the world and the world is broken. When Jesus went on the cross, he got broken too. But do you know what? Jesus was made out of God and God can't be broken so Jesus didn't stay broken, he got fixed.

Eddie's wheels turned.... Then if God comes through the curtain to be with people, then they can get fixed too.

Yes Eddie, if God comes through the curtain to be with people then we all get fixed too. That is the promise of Easter. God will fix us.

Blessings on your 40 days.