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Ash Wednesday

The students at the Wesley Foundation have organized another powerful Ash Wednesday service. Our theme is "A Journey of 40 Days: What steps are you taking? What prints are you leaving?" as we look at ways that we can prepare again for the coming of Christ through examination of our own lives.

The evening will be filled with prayer, contemplation and singing. It is a multi-sensory service that will include prayer stations to direct our time of reflection. An ashes station will be available for persons who wish to have an ash cross marked on their foreheads. We will regather for a time of communion before being sent out into the season of Lent.

The entire campus community is invited to join us for this meaningful time with God.

Below are some thoughts as we have organized this worship and some pictures from previous years.

Brain Storming Ideas

We had a lot of energy around a few ideas:

Each station needs to have movement from good to bad.

Foot Prints (though caution about become cliche)
Actual Foot Prints on Paper
Art Stamps
Reducing our Carbon Footprint
Foot Prints Poem?
What footprints are we leaving?
Good or Bad footprints

Steps people travel
To get food and water
To grow our food and transport it to us
To our Food Pantry

Eco Friendly- Carbon Foot Print

Labyrinth

Invite Jesus Love

Cans and boxes from food pantry set up incorporated into prayer station.

Things we take for granted

Wasted Food & "Dumpster Diving" life style

McD's Supersize me

Different regions of the world and how religions respond to needs.

Communion received as a group.

Some visual thoughts for this year

One option would be to hang our labyrinth from the sanctuary ceiling as a visual representation of the spiritual journey that we are invited to take. It is huge at about 30 feet square and would take up a huge piece of the space. We could project images or text on it. A very rough mock up pic. I tried to skew it to give you a sense of depth but failed a little. At the bottom of the blog is the design of our labyrinth and a little history.

May be a little bit large. We could also borrow a smaller one from Cunningham children's home at 11' by 11'.

Other thoughts:
We're after an emotive multi-sensory experience. Yet, we also are trying not to be "overly dramatic." We want to engage people in a reflective process.

Projecting images or shadows has been a very effective means to create the right environment in years past. The image from below from a couple of years back is a good example of using light to fill the room and set a mood. I would be tempted to us a reduced color palate this year. Perhaps just white light and shadows or sepia colors?

Another option could be using a video projector to project a clip of people feet walking. Like in the post below.

Steps video

History of Labyrinths and the Wesley Labyrinth

Welcome to our Labyrinth. We invite you to spend some time wandering in the single path in this ancient form of meditation.
Please remove your shoes before entering. Walk at your own pace, stepping aside if you encounter someone on the path.
You may wish to envision three stages to walking the labyrinth.
Releasing: The walk inwards is a time for releasing, for letting go of the details of your life, and for shedding thoughts and distractions. Follow your breath, slow down and drop into your body, feel your feet on the path, and find your own pace. This is a time to open the heart and quiet the mind. Christians may want to reflect on the Trinity at each of the points.

Receiving: Once you reach the heart of the labyrinth you will find a space to pause and rest. Your time in the center is a time of receiving. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Stay there as long as you like, and receive what is there for you to receive.

Returning; When you feel ready to leave, enter the Labyrinth on the other path. You are now entering the third stage, which is the journey home, returning back to the threshold carrying your experiences with you. Pilgrims once walked the Chartres labyrinth as a symbolic journey to Jerusalem, a way of re-entering their spiritual home.

The labyrinth is found in traditions across the world and throughout history and is a symbol of healing and wholeness that crosses cultural and religious boundaries. Labyrinths are being used world-wide as a way to quiet the mind, reduce stress and encourage insight and self-reflection.

The practice of labyrinth walking integrates the body with the mind and the mind with the spirit. As a circular symbol, the labyrinth is an archetypal image that represents wholeness, healing, inclusiveness, and community.

Walking the Labyrinth allows us to focus our thoughts and gain clarity and insight about our personal and professional lives. The labyrinth can also provide the opportunity to re-vision goals, assess talents and abilities, make decisions, and evaluate progress.

Labyrinths can be found in medical centers, parks, churches, schools, prisons, parks, spas and retreat centers all across North America. Increasingly the labyrinth is coming into public awareness in Europe and the United Kingdom, and there are currently several projects in progress to bring the labyrinth to academic as well as faith based communities and settings.

The labyrinth design we use is inspired by the Medieval labyrinth from Chartres Cathedral in France. This pattern, made of Beauce quarry stone and an unnamed black stone to delineate the path, was inlaid into the stone floor of the Cathedral in 1201. It has been modified with an additional path leading from the center to make it easier for large groups to walk the labyrinth together.

Pictures from years past