“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

- Matthew 11:28

Ash Wednesday Retreat

Are you feeling weary?

Are you longing for a word of hope?

This Ash Wednesday retreat was designed to create space for you to reground yourself in the goodness of God that is

still there

still abundant

still freely given.

Before you start:

  • Plan on setting aside 15 minutes or so, more if you can, to work through all three movements.

  • Find a quiet space that allows you to most connect with God.

  • You’ll find it helpful to have a piece of paper and a pen nearby.

If you’re local, the West Van United Chapel is open from 9am to 4pm for prayer and contemplation. Come be marked with ashes at 12pm (March 5).

First movement: Drawing into the heart of God

When you’re ready:

  • Settle in to your surroundings. Breathe slowly. Draw your attention to God’s presence with you. Ask God to meet with you in this time - with what you need, but also with what you might not know you need.

  • On a piece of paper, draw a large circle. Make sure you leave space, about 1 inch or so, along the bottom of your page.

  • On the outside of the circle (and leaving the bottom inch of your page blank), make note of those things and emotions you are carrying with you into this time: what happened in your week or month - within you, in your close circles, in your community, in the world.

  • To end this first movement, prayerfully offer all that you wrote down outside the circle into God’s care.

Second movement: Dwelling in hope

On the Psalms, The Great Prayer Book of the Bible, Rowan Williams once wrote, “The Psalms are poetry that feeds the heart and soul. They give us words when we have none, prayers when we don’t know how to pray.”

When you’re ready:

  • Ask God’s Spirit to speak to you in your reading of Scripture.

  • Slowly read through the passages below (click on the + to expand each one). As much as you can, try to read each passage as a prayer.

  • As you read, make note of any words that strike a chord - those words that seem to jump off the page at you.

  • Jot each word down inside the circle you drew in the First Movement. These are your words of hope.

  • “I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”

  • “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

  • “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

  • “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

  • “From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

  • “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.”

  • “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Next:

  • Prayerfully sit with the words of hope you wrote inside the circle.

  • As you sit with them, ask God to show you what ONE word God wants you to hold on to. Pay attention to what ONE word starts to rise above the rest. There is no right or wrong answer. Circle that ONE word you feel God drawing you towards.

  • Spend the next 5 minutes sitting in silence holding that word within you. Ask God to use that word to fill you and transform you. If you have more time, consider going for a quiet walk, pondering and praying the word as you go.

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

- Genesis 3:19

Third movement: Returning with renewed hope

At the heart of Ash Wednesday is the counter-cultural contemplation of our mortality, remembering that we are dust, and to dust we will all, one day, return.

When you’re ready:

  • In the blank space left at the bottom of your page, write: “I carry this word, [YOUR ONE WORD], into the dust of daily life. May it shape my walk toward Easter.”

  • Tear off this strip of paper and place it somewhere you’ll see often during Lent - on your bathroom mirror, in your wallet, etc. You might also set a daily 8 AM phone reminder with these words.

  • End by thanking God for your time together.

  • Go in peace, knowing that everything you wrote outside the circle on your page is impermanent. We are dust, and to dust we will return. Within the circle, the Spirit’s new life remains.

Amen.