Ash Wednesday

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will                                                       Romans 12:1-2

On Ash Wednesday, of course, many Christians will go to a church service where ashes are imposed on their forehead. In Old Testament times, when people mourned or were in a state of repentance and humility, they often wore “sackcloth and ashes”. That appearance was a reflection of an inward condition. Wearing ashes and sackcloth let others know that one was experiencing some inner reflection, even turmoil.

Wearing ashes in public after Ash Wednesday service makes a statement. Others will be able to see this outward sign of personal devotion or submission. They will see that the wearer has decided to make public their inner faith.

In the times of Jesus, the Pharisees (a subset of Jewish adherents) often were very public in making it known that they had been fasting. They would make their faces pale with chalk or other whitening agents to give the impression of suffering. Their need for external approval was the exact opposite of the intent of fasting.

Only we as individuals know our own heart and our intentions in this preparation for Easter. Ash Wednesday is a good start for this preparation. May this Lent be a time of renewal and honest assessment of our own condition.

Prayer: Lord, renew us in this Lenten season, Amen