On February 22nd we will begin the Lenten Season with our worship on Ash Wednesday. As we prepare for
this season, I thought I would take a little time to explain some of the meanings and symbols behind both Ash
Wednesday and Lent.
What is Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday is the first day of the penitential season of Lent. Its true name is
actually not ‘Ash Wednesday’ but ‘The Day of Ashes.’ Whichever name is used, the reference to ashes comes
from the ceremony of placing ashes on the forehead in the shape of the cross as a sign of penitence (to express
sorrow for your sinfulness). This custom was introduced by Pope Gregory I, who was Bishop of Rome from
590 AD to 604 AD. It was enacted as a universal practice by all Western Christians by the Synod of
Benevento in 1091 AD.
Why distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday? The mark of ashes on the forehead is a reality check to
bring us back to earth in the presence of God. The grim but honest ashes are a solemn reminder of our limits
and our Lord’s call for his people’s repentance. These ashes also traditionally are the ashes resulting from the
burning of the previous year’s palm branches from Palm Sunday.
Sinfulness and Repentance—The ashes received are a sign of our repentance at the beginning of Lent, which
is a season emphasizing the importance of repentance in the Christian Life. The wearing of ashes as a sign of
our repentance from human sinfulness comes originally from our Old Testament Hebrew tradition of wearing
sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance. Receiving ashes for repentance can be for each of us a recommitment
of our whole life to Christ.
Ashes and Mortality—The wearing of ashes that night also reminds us of the reason for our repentance before
Almighty God, our mortality (the fact that one day we will die!). This mortality, as taught in Genesis
3:19, is a mortality of ‘ashes to ashes and dust to dust.’
Ashes and Baptism—Receiving ashes on the forehead in the form of a cross reminds us of the cross placed on
our foreheads when we were baptized, the baptism which gave us His love, forgiveness and new life in Christ!
Lent—from the Anglo-Saxon word, lencten, means springtime. The Season lasts from Ash Wednesday to
Holy Week. Lent first appeared between 200-300 AD. Lent was a time of preparation for persons being instructed
in the Christian faith before their baptisms. Following the model of Jesus’ time in the wilderness, new
adults converts practiced Lenten penance and prayer for 40 days, waiting to receive their baptism, confirmation
and first communion at the Easter Vigil (a service celebrated on the evening of the Saturday just prior to
Easter). Today Lent calls us to look back on the impact of our baptism on our lives. How are we doing, we
who have died to sin and come alive to new life in Christ? In repentance we ask our Lord to clear our lives of
sin. The color for Lent is purple which symbolizes repentance.
Pastor Steve