All Christians Should Partake in Lent

To everybody,

Here at McDonald's, a rush this intense on a Wednesday night is unheard of.  What's more, I have never seen so much Filet-O-Fish in my entire time working here.  Sometimes we even get large bulk orders, and the effects of this invisible hand are felt throughout the kitchen.  Blog entries like this, in a moment of pure inspiration, must get their way from my head to the keyboard in a pinch.

Today is Ash Wednesday.  Catholics go to mass and receive crosses of soot on their foreheads, a sign of life in death.  I thought that this was a visible enough sign that they were Christians.  Perhaps a little showy if taken the wrong way, but it is a sure sign of belonging.

Then something happened.  Something anonymous and profound.  I came to work.  The cross of ash, still a visible smudge even after my afternoon shower, not quite fully hidden underneath the bill of my hat.

Instead of this being an issue, I noticed something else.  The Filet-O-Fish came in like the great catch in John 21:11.  The effect this had on the McDonald's staff surprised me — but then, it didn't.

People talked.  In the kitchen, people always talked, but I found out new things about them.  They were the important things, the things that I always wished I could ask, but it was never socially appropriate for me to do so.  I found out who was "not Catholic," "not Christian," "not going to church," and who was "agnostic."  Among other things.

Unfortunately, I wasn't in the physical position to hear everyone clearly.  Still, thanks to an onrush of Catholic patrons, these subjects which were normally out of place, which didn't inconspicuously fit into the "natural" flow of everyday conversation, came up.

This shouldn't be a Catholic thing.  I encourage all of my evangelical friends to go out there and make a difference.  Not by preaching to unbelievers or making anyone feel like outcasts, but by showing that you belong to Something.  Maybe even Someone.

Besides, in the book I most recently picked off my shelf, Building a Contagious Church, it is stated upfront that it's appropriate that we as a church approach evangelism as a community.  It's possible for an individual to make a difference, but it's right and proper that we go out and walk in Christ together.

So let us unite in this tradition.  Reformed Christians already accept the Catholic tradition of celebrating Christmas.  So why can't we accept one more?  Together — united in Christ — we can accomplish wonders in this world, and spread the acreage of fertile soil to be tilled.

Sincerely,
John Hooyer