Theologian's Almanac for Week of February 27, 2022
Welcome to SALT’s “Theologian’s Almanac,” a weekly selection of important birthdays, holidays, and other upcoming milestones worth marking — specially created for a) writing sermons and prayers, b) creating content for social media channels, and c) enriching your devotional life.
For the week of Sunday, February 27:
March 1 is the birthday of the American writer Ralph Ellison, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1914. The grandson of enslaved people, Ellison originally dreamed of being a classical composer — but the renowned African-American writers Langston Hughes and Richard Wright persuaded him to become a writer. One day, recovering from an illness on a friend’s farm in Vermont, Ellison found himself sitting in a barn with a typewriter, staring at an empty page — and then a sentence came to him: “I am an invisible man.” He spent the next seven years exploring that idea, and in particular, how racism can make a person “invisible.” Invisible Man was published in 1952, and today is regarded as a classic of twentieth century literature.
March 1 is also Shrove Tuesday or “Mardi Gras” (“Fat Tuesday”). On one hand, “shrove” refers to the act of presenting oneself for confession and absolution in preparation for the 40-day journey of Lent, which begins tomorrow. And on the other hand, “Fat” refers to a time of revelry on this “Ash Wednesday Eve”: for example, having one last indulgent meal of oil, butter, eggs, and sugar before the season of fasting — which is why the day is often associated with pancakes (some even call it “Pancake Tuesday”). So break out the oil and butter and maple syrup (add some ricotta to the batter!) and celebrate the turning of the year, the arrival of the Lenten season of reflection and self-discipline, and ultimately, the coming feast of the resurrection!
March 1 is also St. David’s Day, a national holiday in Wales (where St. David is the patron saint). All over Wales today, school-aged children are competing in (in person or online) music competitions and poetry recitations, all performed entirely in the Welsh language. The tradition is over a thousand years old, and it’s known as “eisteddfod,” a word from the Welsh “to sit” and “to be.”
March 2 is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. From the SALT archives, here are two meditations on the day and the season it begins: “Resist,” from Rev. Holly McKissick, and “Ash Wednesday,” from Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath.
Many churches will read a passage from Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” today, a passage traditionally associated with Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:1-6,16-21). In this section of the sermon, Jesus challenges us to reflect on what we’re truly living for, what’s really driving our actions. As we pray, give, refrain, or consume — in other words, as we live our daily lives — are we trying to impress others or gain status or acquire things, in effect attempting to store up “treasures on earth”? Or are we instead living with genuine humility and grace, putting our hearts in the right place?
Ash Wednesday is an opportunity to step back and take stock of these indispensable questions, remembering that life is too short and too fragile to waste it on trifles and misplaced priorities. We are dust, after all, and to dust we shall return. While we’re here, what matters most — the “treasures” that are actually most valuable — are the humbling opportunities God gives us each day to help make creation a more beautiful, more just, more loving place to be.