Knocking Off the Plaque
/Dear WRC,
This Monday I went to the dentist. I don’t know what your relationship with the dental profession is like. Many don’t like going to the dentist, some are ambivalent, and only the crazy few really love it. I tend to be somewhat ambivalent. My dentist and his team are great (shout out to our own Brian Marino!) and I tend to have healthy teeth, but I still don’t really look forward to going. I know they’re taking care of me in really important ways, but I don’t love having to confess that I try to floss every night but that I don’t actually do it as often as I know I should, leaning back in the chair while they pick at your teeth with those sharp tools, cramming that thing in your mouth so they can take x-rays. If not painful, much of it is at least uncomfortable. And I have pretty good teeth! There’s nothing wrong with them, yet still I go every six months for them to be checked and scraped clean because even though they’re healthy and I take pretty good care of them, plaque still forms around the edges and if it isn’t taken care of it will slowly but surely become something worse.
This Monday I went to the dentist. This Wednesday we began Lent. It strikes me that the two may actually be quite similar. Some people don’t like Lent, some are ambivalent, and only a few crazies love it. But it’s an opportunity every year to stop and pay attention to something really important that most of us take for granted the rest of the year: not our teeth but our souls. It’s an opportunity to be asked the question: “How are you taking care of your soul?” We may shuffle our feet, avoid eye contact, and respond: “Well, I try to pray every night but I don’t actually do it as often as I know I should.” We get to remind each other that it’s okay, there is always grace, but also that it’s really important for our long-term health if we want to follow Jesus.
Thankfully we don’t have any of those sharp dental tools to poke and scrape you or big x-ray machines to stick in your mouth, but in Lent we’re invited into some specific spiritual practices that may feel just as uncomfortable. On Ash Wednesday we put ashes on our forehead to remind ourselves that we’re all going to die, that life is shorter and we are more fragile than we like to admit. We’re invited to fast—maybe from food one day a week or from social media, screens, or alcohol for all 40 days. Fasting is actually quite a bit like a soul x-ray. Give up food for a day or one of your avoidance strategies like your phone or that glass of wine, and before long you’ll come face to face with what’s in your soul—worry, fear, anxiety, sin. Maybe you’ll even find a cavity and need to come back for some restoration work.
Why do we do this? Not because we’re sadists, but because even if we’re healthy and taking good care of ourselves, plaque grows up around the edges of our souls and if it isn’t taken care of it will slowly but surely become something worse. None of this is really fun, but neither is going to the dentist (sorry, Brian!). We do it anyway, because it’s important and going in for some help now beats a root canal later.
When I was in seminary, I didn’t have dental insurance, and it took a few years after moving before I finally found a dentist here. I think it was about six years since I had seen a dentist. It got to the point where I felt so ashamed about how long it had been that I was actively staying away. I think I was afraid they’d take one look at me and say, “It’s been HOW LONG? What’s wrong with you? Well, let’s get in there and start pulling.” When I finally did make an appointment, they were surprisingly gracious and kind. I had a cavity that needed to be filled. It didn’t feel good and I missed part of a day of work to have it taken care of, but I’m glad I did (don’t google: “what happens if you just leave a cavity?”).
Maybe you feel the same way about church, or Lent, or prayer, or Jesus. It’s been a while. For one reason or another you fell out of the rhythm and more time has gone by than you’d care to admit. You know it’s important but you’re scared about what they’re going to find or how Jesus will respond when you finally show up again. Well trust me, Jesus is more gracious than any dental hygienist. He has no interest in shaming you, only healing and helping. No matter how long it’s been or how you feel about it, Lent is a great time to step back in for some soul care. Take it as an invitation to think about how you want to care for your soul, to step into some spiritual practices to knock some of the plaque off and take a look inside your heart. Lent isn’t necessarily fun, but it’s incredibly important for life following Jesus. In the weeks to come I hope you’ll take the invitation for a checkup. Join us for worship, spend 30 minutes in solitude and silence journaling about how you want to take care of your soul, consider fasting in some way, join one of our discipleship opportunities, or just stop by some time and talk with me. I promise it will be better than a root canal.
In Christ,
Pastor Andy