Ash Wednesday

Just some ashes are all that are needed to begin the season of Lent. Ashes are the product of burning something away. They are what is left over after fire passes over or through something. They are the waste after the heat and light are gone. Perhaps our first association with ashes comes from childhood where we watched our fathers or mothers or maybe someone else carry out the ashes from the fireplace on a cold winter's morning. After the fire had warmed the house, the ashes were useless so they would be disposed as trash.

So why do we put left over "trash" on our foreheads to start the season of Lent? One reason is because the ashes are symbols to remind us of who we are. The Bible tells us that we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return. Adam was formed out of the dust of the earth by God and then God breathed life into that dust (Genesis 2:7).

Ashes are also a sign of repentance. Receiving ashes during Ash Wednesday prepares us for Lent, the time when we are called to repent and change our ways. In biblical times, it was common for people who were mourning to dress in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. There are several stories in the Bible where the people come to God and sit before him "in sackcloth and ashes" to show their repentance and to seek his forgiveness.

So the ashes are meant to be symbols of our mortality and signs of repentance showing that we are truly seeking to follow in God's path.They may be just a few ashes but they sure do mean a lot. They signif your need for God. They are also a way of showing on the outside what is happening on the inside. So as you have the sign of the cross placed onyour foreheads, repent of your self-reliance and self-seeking. Receive God's grace and forgiveness that marks you as a redeemed child of God.

Prayer: Merciful God, please help me to remember to repent and believe the gospel. Amen.