Those burning Ember Days

This week we celebrate something ancient and mysterious in the church calendar—the Ember Days. Ember Days are periods set aside four times a year for prayer, fasting, and dedication. They occur on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following four particular days of the year: St Lucy’s Day (Dec. 13), the first Sunday in Lent, the Feast of Pentecost, and Holy Cross Day—a pattern apparently sometimes shortened to Lenty, Penty, Crucy, Lucy. (Full disclosure: I read this on Wikipedia, so I don’t know if it’s actually true. Second full disclosure: I really hope that it is.) I’d love to say that the word “ember” here has some connection to fire—that these are the days when Christians are burning with faith, hope, and charity. But alas, the origin of the term has nothing to do with hot, burning coals of love and justice but some ancient words having to do with quarterly cycles—“ember” is a reference to the timing of the days, not their spiritual quality.

You can easily see how Ember Days mark the seasons of the year; what is less obvious, and less well-understood, is that early in the Church’s history, they also became associated with ordinations. This affiliation is clear in our current prayer book, where the readings and prayers assigned for these three days are “For the Ministry”—for those to be ordained, for the choice of fit persons for ministry, for all Christians in their vocation. That last Ember Day is an interesting one. It reminds us—all of us, clergy and lay alike—that ministry is not something you have to wear a collar to do. We are all called to ministry, both in the Church and in our lives outside of the Church. So…what’s yours? What is the ministry to which God has called you?

Now, I can hear some of you thinking, “Good grief, is Erika trying to get us to do more things at church? I am too tired to even think about my ministry – what was that next email in my inbox….?” But please, hang on—keep reading. I know that you’re tired, weak, and worn. I can see how reluctant people are to commit their time and their energy at a time when time and energy feel particularly low. And yet, here are these Ember Days, reminding us that all Christians have a ministry—of hospitality, of justice, of prayer, of pastoral care, of the sacraments, of stewardship, of preaching, of imagining, of creativity, of singing. Ready or not, here it comes.

My friends, here is some good news: when we exercise that ministry, when we live the life that we were made to live and do what we’re called to do, we find ourselves dipping into a deep wellspring of life. We find new energy, new space, new enthusiasm…maybe even a new fire burning in our bellies. When we find our ministry and actually do it, we light up like an Advent wreath.

So in these Ember Days, take a moment, a breath, a quiet prayer, and think about your ministry. What is the ministry you exercise at home? At work? At church? On the bus? In the pharmacy? Online? Ask God to help you locate the center, the burning hot coal, of your calling. And then, in the words of one ancient wise man, “Why not become all flame?”

The Very Rev’d Erika L Takacs
Rector, Church of the Atonement, Chicago
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“For the Ministry” III. For all Christians in their vocation

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Renewal-Apostolate Cycle

A PDF - The Renewal-Apostolate Cycle

There are a number of related resources on the Shaping the Parish Resources page