Join us on Wednesday, February 22, at 7:00, Lake Cities UMC as we celebrate our traditional Ash Wednesday service with the imposition of ashes.
This is a solemn day in the Christian year, marked by fasting and pilgrimage of Lent. The service will be followed by our annual “break the fast” soup and bread supper.
Ash Wednesday is an important day for Christians because it is the first day of the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday falls on the seventh Wednesday before Easter (usually around February 9), and begins a season of fasting and repentance (commonly known as Lent) in preparation for the Easter Triduum, which begins on Maundy Thursday and ends at sunrise on Easter morning.
Ash Wednesday's origins are tied to its history and the time of year during which it occurs. It follows the season of Epiphany which culminates with Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). The solemn rites that occur on Ash Wednesday bring the focus back from that of feasting, celebration, and ‘epiphany,’ to the sacrifice of Christ and the mission of the Church. The observance most likely comes from the biblical ‘Day of Atonement.’ In Leviticus 16, the Lord establishes an annual day of repentance for the Israelites, that is to be a lasting ordinance for all their generations. Since the blood of Jesus represents atonement for Christians, the heart of Ash Wednesday is a humbling of oneself through fasting, repentance, and prayer.
On this day, Christians come to church to receive the sign of the cross, marked in ashes on their foreheads. As they receive them, they are reminded that they are mortal and sinful, as they hear the words, “remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return,” or “repent and believe the gospel.” Over the next month, they are encouraged to fast, pray, and seek to live a holy life. Reflection upon one's life during the previous year receives extra attention, and a greater commitment to God and the Church is often the result.
This ceremony observed on Ash Wednesday originated around the eighth century and extends back to the custom during biblical times of people humbling themselves with sackcloth and ashes. The prophet Daniel spoke of seeking the Lord for the release of his people from Babylonian exile with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes (Daniel 9:3). Jonah 3:6 states: "When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust."
In looking at the history of Ash Wednesday, ashes are often considered to be a symbol of man's mortality and represent an attitude of humility, sorrow, and repentance. The ashes used in the Ash Wednesday ritual come from burning the palm branches used in worship the Palm Sunday of the previous year.
One of the major tenets of the Christian faith is that of living a life of humility and repentance. For many Christians, the origins of Ash Wednesday are the annual reminder of where our hearts ought to be in regard to their relationship to God, and of the reason Jesus became our atonement.
