Ashes or Crowns?

There is a great deal written about Ash Wednesday. What is it? Should Christians observe it?

The practice of wearing ashes is connected in scripture to mourning. People in the Old Testament wore ashes to demonstrate their grief over sin or their repentance of sin. When Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh that God had seen their sin and was going to destroy them for their sin, the people (including their king, by the way) responded to this message by repenting, fasting, and wearing sackcloth and ashes.

There is no place in scripture where we are commanded to observe Ash Wednesday, nor is there a place prohibiting it. Therefore, in the absence of prohibition, we are given freedom and grace to observe this.

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, which is a period of reflection and fasting that leads us to Easter. Lent is 40 days long, not counting the Sundays before Easter. Different Christian practices may differ, but they often involve reflection of one's own mortality and sinfulness, fasting from specific foods or activities, and even giving special offerings or finding ways to serve others.

Here is an interesting fact: the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is called Fat Tuesday. It is known as Mardi Gras and marks the end of Carnival season. On Fat Tuesday, as throughout the Carnival season, people indulge in feasting and partying. On Ash Wednesday, people turn from feasting and celebrating and turn inward for spiritual reflection.

Isn't this an interesting picture of how we often approach our own sinfulness and repentance!

During a typical Ash Wednesday service, scriptures and songs tend to focus on mortality, death, sinfulness, and the like. We have the opportunity to get a smear of ashes on our foreheads as a visible reminder of our own wretchedness.

Sounds hopeful, doesn't it?

There is actually a good purpose for this. If we never contemplate our sinfulness, we never reach for God's righteousness. If we never see our need for the ashes, we never reach for the crown of victory that comes with repentance, redemption, and restoration.

How about you? How often do you contemplate your own sinfulness?

Have you accepted the crown of new life and hope?

We invite you to a special Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6:30 pm. We will contemplate and reflect, but we will also celebrate the crown of new life and hope as we look forward to Easter. There will be music, a time to create, a time to reflect, and a time to celebrate. This is for all ages and is interactive.