Drive-Thru Christianity

I noticed it this past Ash Wednesday, as the local news channel was covering "drive-thru ashes" for Christians who wanted to get their Wednesday ashes but didn't have time to stop into a formal service or Mass. Various denominations had set up stops in various places for people to stop by for a quick dusting upon their foreheads, grab a donut and coffee, and then go about their busy day.


I'm sure the intention was genuine: meet people where they are in their lives and attempt to bring bits of the faith to them. It's a good sentiment. But that's about all it is, and I believe it delivers a message that completely contradicts the whole point of "Ash Wednesday" from the very start.

Here's the message: "We know you are busy and don't have time to 'make time' for things of the faith, so we'll make it more convenient for you so that your faith life doesn't get in the way of your 'other' life".

But isn't that completely the opposite of what our faith life is supposed to do? Our faith is supposed to remind us that our 'other' things are less important. It is the 'other' stuff that is getting in the way of our faith and our relationship with God. And it is the 'other' stuff that is supposed to be inconvenienced in order to make proper time for things of the faith. ESPECIALLY on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is when we are supposed to remember that "we are dust, and to dust we shall return". This is precisely a time for making a concerted effort to put everything else on the back burner so we can renew our relationship with God. It is a time for devoting ourselves to fasting and prayer, just like the Apostles did, and just like Christ foretold we would do.

Yet, instead of placing our faith at the forefront of our lives and putting everything else in its proper place, and fasting for [only] a day, here we are seeking out a "quickie" of ashes, and a donut, so that we can get on with our busy lives and not dare let our faith get in the way of that.

It's just so backward.

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