26 February • Cling

April Fiet is hosting a daily word prompt for Lent! I'm on Facebook sabbatical, but you can find her there or connect on twitter as I've been doing during my FB fast; I predict you'll enjoy April Fiet's website! In Lent 2013 when I followed Slate Speak's rethink church Photo-A-Day, most days I blogged something visual and wrote something, and that's what may happen this year. Or not.

Clingy kids, clingy pets. Few would be surprised that cling wrap immediately popped into my field of vision when I considered today's prompt. As it attaches itself to whatever surface it encounters, sometimes smoothly, often with bubbles that won't quite smooth out, cling wrap forms the ultimate model for clinging. Given everything that has and hasn't been happening in my own field of dreams, my first thought was to cling to those dreams, particularly to cling tightly to the resurrection hope Jesus provides for their future fulfillment. Good one for this season that glances toward longer days, warmer weather, and easter's glory. Excellent for this season of Lent whose name means slow, just as the music tempo lento instructs us to go slow.

However... today is Ash Wednesday, Lent's annual season opener. Mid-afternoon a friend texted and asked me to attend church with her—a simple soup supper – a cross of ashes on my forehead to remind me I am not immortal (though I will be resurrected!), to assure me I'd been forever marked with the cross and sealed with the Spirit – a simple meal of bread and wine.

So what do I cling to? My dreams and hopes? Yes! The word of life, bread of life, cup of salvation? Amen!