Ash Wednesday: Welcoming 40 Days of Lent

Lent
Written By Matthew Pillman

Why are ashes so awkward… & good?

I was in college the first time that I went to a church that recognized Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes (more on this later). I still remember the internal conflict that took place. Thoughts like “I can’t wait to wash this off” and “Wow, I really do need Jesus” flowed simultaneously through my mind.

These are common emotions tied to Ash Wednesday and Lent. Why?

The answer lies in the tangible and powerful message of ashes smeared in the shape of a cross. Ashes announce one thing—death: “remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) Who likes to hear this? It’s like a future glimpse of your funeral. It’s the reality that one day the body that you work so hard to care for will decompose into a smelly and ugly corpse that is only fit to be buried in the ground. Where’s the hope in this? Who wants to live with a sign of their death on their forehead?

ANSWER: Only people that have the hope of the cross.

The ashes have a shape—gospel. As the pastor smears the ashes, he quotes God’s Word: “Repent and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) Repentance is connected with ashes (Genesis 18:27; Job 30:19, 42:6; Ezekiel 27:30) and Christ’s cross bears the good news of the gospel.

Paul declares in Galatians 6:14, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

“There are many things that we proclaim to the world… I cannot think of any better [than] ‘my only boast is the cross of Christ.’

While ashes represent death for us, the cross represents the death of Jesus Christ in our place. There are many things that we proclaim to the world through the clothes we wear, the words we say, and the life we live. I cannot think of any better message to wear than one that simply says “my only boast is the cross of Christ.”

Embrace the awkward. The very point of the ashes is that it is not boasting in your righteousness, but Christ’s!

How do ashes welcome Lent?

Lent is not a season about self—it’s always and only about Christ (for us). Ash Wednesday is a doorway to tangibly realize this truth. The Ash Wednesday Service includes this invitation to Lent:

Dear ones in Christ, it was the custom in the early Church to prepare for the suffering and death of Christ on Good Friday and for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord with special worship and acts of repentance and faith. Believers were invited to increase their prayer, to fast, and to increase their private meditation. Today, and throughout the Lenten season, we will be reminded of the message of pardon and forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I invite you to observe this season of Lent by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, by reading God’s holy Word, and by giving of your substance as God leads you to special ministries of mercy. To begin this journey of repentance, and as a reminder of our mortal nature, let us now humble ourselves before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.

Why the wilderness?

Just as our hearts are repulsed by any reminder of sin & death, our hearts are also not ready for the joy of Christ’s resurrection.

Imagine that  you have just finished an all-you-can-eat buffet and someone gifts you a decadent cake.  You know that this gift is thoughtful and  delicious—even better than the boatload of food you just consumed, but you are repulsed by it. Why? There isn’t room!

The central practices of Lent (fasting, prayer, and almsgiving) also serve to make room. It is a wilderness that allows us to repent of sin and turn to Christ. Susan Narjala writes: 

When we stop drinking from the broken cisterns of the world, we gain a heightened awareness that our deep thirst can only be quenched by the Living Water (Jer. 2:13). Instead of being quick to slap on a temporary fix, whether it is chocolate or the distraction of a television show, fasting during Lent helps us understand only the one true God can meet our needs.

The Feast of the Resurrection is coming. Let’s learn to walk in the wilderness first!

Welcome to the wilderness!

Here are some practical recommendations you may consider for Lent this year. Consider how you can create space individually and as a family to practice some of these:

  • Begin with Ash Wednesday - Our Service is February 18, 6:30pm at Agency Iowa. Come early for our soup supper at 5:30pm.

  • Read Scripture together - There are many excellent resources for this. We are handing out The Sinner/Saint Lenten Devotional to our families this year.

  • Light/extinguish Lenten candles - Similar to an Advent wreath, some families recognize Lent with candles. Begin by all 7 candles, and then 1 less candle each subsequent week. This culminates with total darkness on Good Friday (Tenebrae Service). Here are more details & ideas.

  • Practice prayer - This is an area we can all grow in. We will teach through each petition of the Lord’s Prayer this Lent during our Sunday evening Lent devotionals. You may consider revisiting our Lent prayer calendar (from last year).

  • Consider fasting - This is not primarily a tool to break bad habits, but a way to deny ourselves & rely on Christ. You might choose to fast from excess items that draw your resources and attention (i.e. food/drink items, technology, or entertainment).

  • Pursue generosity - The early church actually fasted from meats in part so that they had more financial resources to share with the poor. Many of us today have resources available to share even without rearranging our budget. Consider how God might use your time or financial resources this Lent in order to serve those in need! As a church we will serve a meal at Love INC on March 11th to put this in practice.

May God grant grace and peace as you remember the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died. Indeed, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.”

Additional Lent Resources

Matthew Pillman
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October Hymn: Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word