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Thursday, February 19, 2026

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  Daily Lectionary for February 19 I am currently taking an Introduction to the Old Testament class. As part of our discussion on the Abrahamic covenant, our prof reminded us that in the Ancient Near East a covenant was ratified by the sacrifice of animals, who were cut in half and then laid out in such a way that the two parties could walk between them to signal their intention to keep their part of this covenant.     In the Abrahamic covenant ceremony, only God passed between the animals, signifying that He was the one who was going to remain faithful, even when we, His people, would not. It’s a powerful image that moves me to deep gratitude: even when I am unfaithful, God remains faithful. He keeps His promise that He made to me through Abraham.    Our Deuteronomy passage is taken from a covenant renewal ceremony before Israel crosses the Jordan into the land they have been promised. As we enter the season of Lent, I wonder if it might be helpful to think of ...
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Ash Wednesday

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  The Conversion of St. Augustine by Fra Angelico   Daily Lectionary for Ash Wednesday The Lord remembers that we are dust . Psalm 103   “I didn’t know you were supposed to be mean for Lent.” So said one of my children around the age of ten after an Ash Wednesday service. They found my going around telling people that they were going to die, and quite literally rubbing it in, a little cruel. And to an age with childlike delusions of its own morality and immortality, the unvarnished, universal and personal conviction of sin and sentence of death in the marking of this day must seem mean. We would rather pretend otherwise.    “You are dust.” It reminds me of the contemporary idiom, “You’re toast.” But this dreadfully honest diagnosis is the first step in our healing. And I would commend healing to you as a new and ancient way of thinking about Lent. A 6th Century Office Hymn for Lent is titled Now is the Healing Time Decreed .   Ash Wednesday, Penitence, Len...
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