The following is an excerpt from Seasons of Worship: A Spiritual Calendar for the Church Today.
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is intended to be a bold confrontation with death. The imposition of ashes serves as a poignant reminder that, just as ashes can enrich the soil and aid in the growth of new plants, we need to let go of our old selves and let Christ bring forth new life within us.
The Scriptures do not prescribe the keeping of Ash Wednesday. But there are signs in Scripture that are used on Ash Wednesday. The first is the sign of the cross. The origin of the sign of the cross goes back to the early church and expresses the self–denial that is associated with Jesus. In the early church the sign of the cross accompanied sacred actions, such as baptism. Baptism, like the cross, is the way of death. What is brought to death is the old life, the old way, the influence of the powers of evil. So, the sign of the cross, used in the Ash Wednesday service symbolizes a willingness to put to death a life lived after the flesh and a willingness to follow Jesus, even to death.
The second sign of Ash Wednesday is ashes. You have probably seen ashes placed on foreheads (configured into the sign of the cross). Maybe you have even participated in an Ash Wednesday service yourself. In Scripture, ashes are a sign of repentance. When Daniel discovered the impending desolation of Jerusalem, he “turned to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” (Dan 9:3; see also 2 Sam 13:19; Job 42:6; Esth 4:1). The ashes used in the imposition traditionally come from the burning of the palm branches from the year before. The symbolism here is powerful as the palms used to praise Jesus are now ash used to remind us of his death and our mortality. Ashes are applied to the forehead of Christians in the sign of the cross as a symbol of humility and repentance. Throughout the Middle Ages ashes were sprinkled on the head. The ashes are a reminder that we are “dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19). Thus, they are a reminder of our mortality cursed as it is by sin. Moreover, the ashes remind us of our limits, of what we are, and how greatly we need God’s mercy in Christ. We don’t wear ashes to proclaim our holiness but to acknowledge that we sin and are in need of repentance and renewal.
©2024 Steven D. Brooks, Wipf and Stock Publishers
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If you would like to read more about Ash Wednesday and the Christian year, and it’s spiritual impact upon the lives of worshipers, you can find more in Seasons of Worship: A Spiritual Calendar for the Church Today by Dr. Steven D. Brooks.