Ash Wednesday - Tomorrow

We will have two services on Ash Wednesday: at 12:00 p.m. at the EC Church in Highland Park, and at 7:30 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran. Ash Wednesday calls upon us to turn from our sin, turn to God in penitence, and enter into a holy season of Lent, as we look toward our observance of Christ's Suffering, Death and Resurrection.

Additionally, we will be burning the palms from last year’s Palm Sunday before the evening service. The burning of the Palms is an ancient tradition in the Christian church, dating back to the 1100s. Anyone who would like to participate in the Burning of the Palms is welcome to arrive before the service, at 7:00 p.m.

Our solemn observances of Ash Wednesday will include imposition of ashes. Please invite those who may be new to this season to attend with you.

Our Lenten Journey

Tomorrow we begin the journey of Lent—a practice of self-reflection and penitence that dates to the early years of the Christian church. Lent mirrors the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness prior to his ministry, and it is preparation in our lives for the joy of resurrection and new life, now several weeks away. In Lent we say we are sorry for sins, and we ask God to help us cast off our dry and calloused hearts and turn once again from our sinful patterns and to God.  Lent is associated with self-denial, such as fasting, but it is considered part of the cycle of life in the church year, as we get ready to walk through Holy Week with Jesus—his betrayal, death, burial and glorious resurrection. Lent is a time full of God’s presence, increasingly revealed as we empty ourselves of the things that keep us from intimacy with God.

Ash Wednesday, the first day of our Lenten observance, is a day of fasting and prayer, and is marked by solemn worship with the imposition of ashes in the sign of the cross, accompanied by the words, “remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

The ashes serve a dual purpose. First, as the above words imply, we are reminded of our mortality and humanity as we begin the Lenten Fast. Second, the ashes are a Biblical symbol of repentance, sorrow, and humility. There are many cases in the Scriptures of ashes as a sign of penitence, often while wearing sackcloth. In 2 Samuel 13:19, Tamar puts on ashes and tears her clothes as a sign of sadness and repentance. In Esther 4:1-3, after learning of the king’s decree to kill all Jews, Mordecai tears his garments, and puts on sackcloth and ashes. His fellow Jews do the same thing, as well as beginning to fast. The prophet Jeremiah (6:26) urges his readers to “gird on sackcloth and roll in ashes.”

On solemn occasions liturgical churches sometimes use incense, as a symbol of the prayers of believers ascending to God (Ps. 141:2, Rev. 5:8). We tend to think of incense associated with eastern religions and spirituality, but it has a long history in Judeo-Christian worship. In the Old Testament, incense was burned only as a sacrifice to God, and there were strict guidelines concerning its use. Incense is a picture of 2 Corinthians 2, that “we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved…”

In this coming season you are encouraged to press in to God in prayer, silence, reflection and consideration of our need of Him, in order to receive a fresh experience of his love and forgiveness.

Some FAQ’s

Why observe Lent?  I have been in many churches that never followed this.
That’s true—it is an ancient practice that much of the church has lost, or at least devalued.  And it is important not to treat it in a legalistic fashion.  For much of the church for centuries it was an obligation—meaning that all of the features and disciplines of Lent were required of Christians.  But Lent can be very helpful in purging us of our accumulated worldliness.  It is a season that creates space in which we can together, as a community, cast off our sinfulness and turn to the life of God.  It is an important and vital part of the Christian year and walking with Christ, and many churches in various traditions are recovering this season.

I’ve heard about giving up things for Lent.  What is that about?
Christians have been encouraged during this season to consider our relationship to God and our dependence on him.  Relinquishing something that has become important to us, as well as fasting (from food, entertainment, busyness, etc) reminds us that we are ultimately dependent on God, and that we have filled our lives with other ‘stuff’. So some people do give up something as a tangible and physical reminder of change that they need and desire in their life.

But Lent is not only measured in negative terms.  We also take on things in this season that are life giving.  They include prayer, more attention to the scriptures, spiritual friendships, and almsgiving (giving to and serving the poor).  These are historic hallmarks of the season of lent, and help us to get our focus back on God and his kingdom.

Are there rules about fasting?
We shouldn’t approach Lent in a legalistic framework, even though parts of the Church have presented it in that way.  Ash Wednesday is an appropriate day to fast, as is Good Friday.  Often people fast for one or more meals on one day of the week, often Friday—because Jesus was crucified on a Friday.    But each day of Lent is set aside as a day appropriate for special acts of devotion and discipline.

One exception to this is Sunday.  Even during Lent Sunday is a day to celebrate Christ’s work of salvation, and Sundays function as a type of ‘mini’ Easter.  Sunday is not a day to fast as we feast together at the Lord’s table, and worship in his presence.

What about worship in Lent?  What will be different?
While we continue to celebrate the work of Christ, we do so within the season of Lent, and that shapes our worship.  You will notice that there will be no “Alleluias” during this season, as a mark of our repentance, saving them for the day of the Lord’s resurrection.  The liturgical color shifts to purple, to mark the depth of our sorrow over our sin. We will say together the Ten Commandments, and while worship will be celebratory, there will be more language to remind us of our need continually to repent and turn to God.