By Fr. Brian+
I walked into the sanctuary at 7 AM, eyes still half-closed from the night before. It was time to start Lent with the first of our three Ash Wednesday services. I was thinking of the first line of my sermon when it caught my eye. The liturgical color of the new season: purple.
The purple on the altar, on the lectern, on the pulpit, and on the crosses stunned me. It’s a rich color that takes my breath away. A few minutes later, the same color was draping over my shoulders.
I was not worthy to wear a color reserved for royalty. I’m just a dude in Ocala.
Jesus is the true purple-bearer.
Jesus, the King of kings. Kings wore purple in ancient times, but I’m not sure Jesus ever wore it willingly. It was placed upon him to mock him - “king of the Jews.” It was a pejorative phrase and action.
But in fact, Jesus is the king of the Jews, and the Arabs, and the Americans, and the Nigerians, and the ___________ (fill in the blank).
A few years ago a purple fabric was found in Timna, Israel, and dated to 1000 BC. Perhaps it was part of King David’s royal robe. You can read the fascinating find here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55815820 The dye of that fabric was thought to be more valuable than gold.
Even if David’s full garment wasn’t preserved, his line of succession was: King Jesus. Jesus is true royalty, the God of the universe, the Spirit who rules over our hearts.
Enjoy the purple. It’s only with us for five weeks. But the King of Purple will be with us forever.
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