Ash Wednesday developed as a day of penitence to mark the beginning of Lent — the 40 days of preparation for the paschal celebrations of Easter. Ash Wednesday is a particular time for new beginnings in the faith, a time for returning to the Lord. On this day we recall our mortality and wait upon the Lord for a renewing Spirit. This is a time for putting aside the sins and failure of the past in the light of who we are yet to become by the grace of God.

 

 

Ashes are a sign of our mortality. “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” are words that remind us to number our days. Ashes are also a sign of turning away from our sin and confessing that god stands above us. Job, at the conclusion of his argument with God, said, “...I despise myself, and I repent in dust and ashes.” (42.6)

 

Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service come from burning the palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration. Following Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, he made the complete sacrifice to wake us up out of our sins.

 

This day and season are not meant to lay a guilt trip on us. Rather, they remind us that we rely entirely on God’s mercy and that how we live matters to the Lord.