Ashes for Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the day that signifies the beginning of Lent. Tonight we'll be going to church for the Ash Wednesday Service. We will celebrate Holy Communion and we will receive the Imposition of Ashes. (That's right, it's not just Catholics who walk around with dirty foreheads on Ash Wednesday; Lutherans do it too!) If you are not familiar with this little church tradition, here is a quick explanation:

The season of Lent, the 40 days not counting Sundays leading up to Easter, are a time of penitential reflection for the Christian. The 40 day Lenten observance mirrors Jesus' own 40 days of fasting, praying and preparing in the wilderness; we too put ourselves under a time of spiritual discipline and self-examination. Unfortunately, it has gotten somewhat of a "bad rap" as being a time of proscribed dietary restrictions, of "giving up something", of demands, regulations and requirements with little spiritual significance that have been imposed upon the faithful by "the church" (often associated with the Catholic Church). Much of Western Evangelicalism has, therefore, distanced itself from Lenten observance, and not without reason: the Apostle Paul warns us in Galatians against imposing mandatory "days, and months, and times, and years". On the other hand, Scripture records that Paul observed the Festival of Pentecost (20:16) so clearly he didn't consider all sacred observances to be forbidden and must have found some value in their keeping.

Lutheran observation of Lent has historically fallen in the middle of these two positions. If, for example a Lutheran believes that he would benefit spiritually from a period of fasting, then he is free to do so. But it's not mandatory. As always, the focus is not on what we do, but on what Jesus has freely done for our sakes. So as we symbolically join Jesus on his 40 day retreat, we reflect on our sins in sorrow, remorse and repentance. Ashes in biblical times were a symbol of mourning and repentance (see 2 Samuel 13:19 and Jeremiah 6:26), so a Christian wearing ashes on his forehead as a reminder of his own mourning and repentance is symbolically appropriate. (But it's just a human tradition and I don't mean to imply that there's a biblical mandate for it.)

Here's a bit of trivia: the pastor will make the ashes for the service by burning palm fronds from last Palm Sunday and adding a bit of olive oil to make a sticky paste.

Tonight, this is what he will impose on our foreheads in a tiny cross pattern. As each (who wishes to participate) goes forward, the pastor will say "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." We are reminded that we are mortal, headed for the grave. And for the next 40 days we will journey with Jesus and remember why He went to His grave.