Some posts about Ash Wednesday have included humor, whether deliberate or accidental. Author Jennifer Greenberg accidentally tweeted, “I’ve never really heard any strong feelings for or against Lent. It was just a tradition some Christians did and we didn’t. Farting was encouraged but it was more as needed, not scheduled.” Bible teacher Beth Moore commented, “I just don’t know if this is a fit for me.”
Later, Greenberg said:
This tweet went so hilariously wrong. I’d like to thank Autocorrect, our merciful God who is sovereign over typos and clearly has a great sense of humor, and all my new followers. I will try to live up to this comedic standard, but don’t hold your breath 😂 https://t.co/1bHRL2jCUu
— Jennifer Greenberg (@JennMGreenberg) March 2, 2022
Ed Stetzer, Outreach Magazine’s editor-in-chief, tweeted: “Today is Ash Wednesday, or—as Baptists call it— Wednesday.”
Ok, this baptist thinks that’s pretty funny. https://t.co/55CBVrr1oG
— John (@JohnLitzler) March 2, 2022
No one:
Me at work today:
#AshWednesday pic.twitter.com/073sBiSf50
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) March 2, 2022
One Twitter user pointed out that the past couple of years have been unusually difficult for people and asked, “Haven’t we been living through #AshWednesday for the whole of this pandemic? And now with the invasion of Ukraine? This time has been nothing but reflecting on our mortality. We need joy this Lent.”
Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes responded, “This is precisely why I’m doing the #ResurrectingSelfCare challenge. The only thing I’m giving up this year is self-neglect!”
Another user answered, “One Lent I decided to pray for joy, for openness to joy, and to prepare myself to see it when God so deemed it time. One morning during Holy Week I woke to such utter joy and contentment that it rattled me to the core. It’s an experience that often causes me pause.”
Writer and speaker Carmen LaBerge sums up Ash Wednesday this way:
Today is a day I don’t just look back on my own sin but on the reality of sin itself. I look all the way back to the Garden because I want to look all the way forward to the new heaven and the new earth. God’s redemptive story is a long one. It helps me to remember that on days like today when the world seems an uncertain and dangerous place.
