It’s February.

The time of year where it doesn’t matter if a groundhog sees its shadow because we have six to twelve more weeks of winter (despite many Minnesota’s stealing a week by visiting a warm climate).

The time of year where powerful words point to hope of greater things to come.

And I’m not talking about “pitchers and catchers report.” (I might be talking about that, actually)

The time of year where we “remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Ash Wednesday begins a season in the church called Lent, leading to Easter and the death and resurrection of Jesus. Ashes are placed in the shape of a cross on the foreheads of Christians as a reminder of the circle of life—we are created, but someday we die. Our faith encourages us to make a difference in the middle, but also that heaven awaits us when this life is over because of Jesus.

I had a book study with members of Faith Lutheran that read “Making Sense of the Cross,” written by Luther pastor and my former seminary professor David Lose. He explains how the theology behind the cross came to be.

During our conversation, the members (mostly in their 60’s and 70’s) talked about the importance of the cross in their own faith walk.

Then, a comment was made that the younger generations aren’t familiar with death. They don’t want to talk about or confront it. Essentially, the cross was not relevant.

This stirred up the group more than any comment of the day. Quickly, others chimed in that youth have active shooter drills in school, they see images of war in Ukraine and the earthquakes in Turkey/Syria, and that suicide within youth is a concern.

How would the cross—and for that matter, a conversation about life—be relevant to someone dealing personally with death or witnessing devastation in the world?

I think it matters a lot.

I talked about my experience as a chaplain in the MN Army National Guard. Earlier this month, I led sessions addressing grief because two soldiers died—one by suicide and another at a work accident. Young soldiers, mostly in their 20’s, were mourning the death of two friends without warning.

The mothers of the soldier who died by suicide had a message that I shared with his unit, “he gave so much of himself to others and to people in need that he might’ve forgotten to take care of himself. He was a giving person. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, talk to somebody. It’s not a sign of weakness if you need to get help.”

I pointed out the importance of talking to their battle buddies. Go beyond superficial conversations and get to know each other. If something is wrong, it’s ok to be vulnerable and talk.

Mortality. Life and death. Suffering. These aren’t normal conversations to have. But they’re important.

Who are your life buddies? Who are the ones that you can turn to and have serious conversations? Is Jesus one of your life buddy conversation partners? Lent is a great time to deepen prayer practices. 

The words “Remember you are dust… and to dust you shall return” is not just a powerful reminder of eternal life through Jesus Christ—it’s a calling to take care of each other with the relationships we’ve established here on earth.

Pastor John is a monthly contributor for the Forest Lake Times. This article appeared in the Feb 23^rd issue.