Ash Wednesday

So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Daniel 9:3

The season of Lent is a time of repentance, moderation, spiritual discipline, and fasting as we consider the sins of mankind paid for through Christ's sacrifice.

In many churches today, members will have an opportunity to receive a mark in the form of a cross with ashes either on the forehead of back of the hand.

The ashes generally come from the dried palm branches used at last year's Palm Sunday and Easter celebrations that have been burned and mixed with water (so it stays on the skin).

The tradition of imposing ashes is a relatively new one in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.  As a kid, I saw people with a mark on their forehead and wondered about it and learned at the time it was primarily offered during Catholic worship on Ash Wednesday.

The churches we went to didn't emphasize fasting or "giving up something" for Lent either with the idea of a big celebration with it on Easter, either.  I believe the reason was that us "doing" something didn't forgive our sins.

It was around 25 years ago when I first noticed ashes in church on this first day of Lent.  It was an option, that gained in popularity as a practice through the years.

The value to me now, is the tangible reminder of the black filth created by sin as seen in the ashes when I look in the mirror.  A reminder accompanied by the Easter joy that washes away the darkness.