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Ready or Not: Here Come Ash Wednesday

February 16, 2021 By Jean Wise

Ash Wednesday

Ready for Ash Wednesday and Lent?

Today is Shrove Tuesday which I featured on the blog last year and tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. This solemn service includes confession and reconciliation and the use of ashes to form a cross on each forehead.

“From dust you came and from dust you will return.” Genesis 3: 19

The symbolism of ashes stirs my heart each year and feels like the threshold on our walk to Gethsemane and the Resurrection. I stand in the doorway between the seasons and pause to ponder God’s faithfulness and forgiveness and to pray and praise his grace and love.

The sign of the cross on our forehead with ashes recalls our baptism, and reminds us that in both life and life beyond life we belong to God; we are “marked as Christ’s own forever.”

In our parish and many others, the ashes are made by burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday.

Throughout the Bible ashes represent repentance and asking God for mercy and forgiveness. For example, Jonah preached in the city of Nineveh, “he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes” (Jonah 3:6).  The prophet Daniel dressed in sackcloth and ashes as a sign of his people’s regret for the ways they had turned away from God (Daniel 9:3)

“A few wise words echoing through Ash Wednesday urge me to deeper things:

renewed dedication,

constant compassion

and mindful awareness.

I leave marveling at how simple and sublime is this envelope of the soul, which one day return to dust, dust, only dust.”

Joyce Rupp

This time of the church year we are invited into deeper reflection and listening to our God. Many read a special devotional (the Lenten devotional I wrote is featured in the sidebar), pray more often, increase their giving and may fast from something to remind them of God’s blessings and love.

Christine Sine writes a special prayer each year  – what a delightful practice. Here is the link to some of her creativity.

She also compiled a great list of resources for Lent.

Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him. Lent asks believers to set aside a time each year for similar fasting, marking an intentional season of focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection.

I want the ashes to go deeper this year. Mark the sign of the cross inward on my heart, not just outward on my forehead. 

The ashes remind me to reflect on who I am and Whose I am.

The ashes help me remember to let go things that clutter and block my relationship with God.

The ashes prompt me to turn over my frailty and imperfections to God and praise Him for sending us a Savior.

The ashes invite me to return and draw closer to the One who loves each of us and wants a deeper relationship with us.

May my ego crumble like ashes as God embraces my human heart with His love

How do the ashes invite you closer to God?

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Filed Under: Seasonal, spiritual practices

Comments

  1. Nancy Ruegg says

    February 16, 2021 at 5:21 pm

    Ashes remind me of grief. With great grief and sorrow of his own, our precious Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. A cross of ashes on my forehead reminds me of the terrible price he had to pay, and marks me as one whom he has saved, praise God!

    • blankJean Wise says

      February 19, 2021 at 1:07 pm

      Ashes do symbolize grief but is also used as soap for cleansing. I like that image too,

  2. blankLinda Stoll says

    February 16, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    ‘in both life and life beyond life we belong to God; we are “marked as Christ’s own forever.”

    amen. what peace, what gratitude, what joy …

    • blankJean Wise says

      February 19, 2021 at 1:08 pm

      Marked forever as Christ! what a great reminder

  3. blankMartha Jane Orlando says

    February 16, 2021 at 8:18 am

    You’ve so aptly described here, Jean, what Ash Wednesday and Lent are all about. May we embrace this season of repentance with our whole hearts.
    Blessings!

    • blankJean Wise says

      February 19, 2021 at 1:09 pm

      Repentance and renewal. I think often we rightfully focus on repentance and forget the renewal, and man we need both!

  4. blankClayton Micallef says

    February 16, 2021 at 8:14 am

    For me the Ashes remind me that from dust we were made and to dust we will return. The ash cross For me symbolises the resurrection through Jesus that only through Jesus we have eternal life that only through Jesus after our physical dead from ashes We return to eternal life with him in heaven.

    • blankJean Wise says

      February 19, 2021 at 1:09 pm

      so true Clayton!

Healthy Spirituality – a sacred space to nurture your faith, grow closer to God, and belong to a community, walking together on life’s journey. This blog is written by author, speaker and retreat leader Jean Wise

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