Ash Wednesday and Lent
A Primer for Meaningful Observance
The purpose of this guide is not to be exhaustive in its treatment of the topics at hand. Ash Wednesday and Lent are ancient observances of the church and have roots that go back even further in redemptive history. The hope rather is that this little guide would help you in the observance of Ash Wednesday and Lent. For some of us, these practices are very commonplace and have been handed along to us with little explanation or understanding. For others, these are practices foreign to us belonging to ‘other’ churches whose observance are looked upon with at least some skepticism. Still others have simply never encountered these rituals or had opportunity to learn their purpose or meaning. Maybe you can identify with one of the above mentioned groups or maybe none of them fits you well, no matter, this guide still will be of help to you.
Why ritual?
Ritual has a bad reputation in many Christian circles at the moment. And while this is not an altogether new phenomenon, it is one that often is accepted with little serious consideration of what we are pushing to the margins. Rituals can be empty, devoid of meaning and life but, they don’t have to be. One can observe communion and do little more than eat a piece of Matzoh cracker and drink a thimble full of grape juice. It would be unhelpful to do so. On the other hand, one can observe communion with the same elements, and even in the same worship service, and have a deep and meaningfuly experience. What ritual does for us is open the opportunity to have our spirituality to be physical, thoughtful and emotional. Our highest hope with any religious ritual is just this, that God would meet us in the practice and transform us to be more like Jesus.
Why Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is our departure point into a 40 day journey called Lent. It is a solemn service of the church in which worshipers are confronted with their frailty and sin. You’ve maybe heard a minister at a funeral (real or in the movies) say something like, “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.” While this phrase is not a Bible verse, there is much in the Bible to support it. In Genesis 3:19, God says this to Adam, “You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.” (CSB). Psalm 90:3 states, “You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” In the same Psalm, wisdom is sought so that people might number their days well. The basic import of all these thoughts is: you are going to die and when you die, your body will decay and return to the dirt. Part of Ash Wednesday is this reality being recognized and brought into the forefront of our vision. Our lives are short and eternity is long. For all of our status seeking and gathering of possessions, our lives are fleeting, like wild flowers. We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. This reminder of Ash Wednesday is helpful and necessary.
Ashes have another symbolic meaning in the Bible, and that is for mourning and repentance. Job, God’s righteous servant used ashes in both of these ways. (mourning see Job 2:8, repentance Job 42:6) Other Biblical figures used ashes as way to show their repentance and sorrow; Tamar, Daniel, and Mordecai to name a few. So common was the practice that Jesus used it in an indictment against some of the places that had received his ministry stating that if Tyre and Sidon had been recipients instead, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes (Matthew 11:21). So, when we receive ashes on our forehead or hand, we are entering into a symbolic practice of heartfelt sorrow and repentance for our sin and sinfulness.
Why Lent?
Like Ash Wednesday, Lent has a long history among Christians. It is a period of 40 days (less Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The 40 day length of Lent comes from the significance of 40 days in the redemptive history of God’s people. Forty days and nights of rain caused the flood in Noah’s day. Moses was on the mountain with God for forty days. The spies explored the promised land for 40 days. The faithless response of the people of God brought on 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Elijah journeyed for 40 days to the mountain of God and to hear His voice. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before He began his ministry. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared off and on among His followers for 40 days and then ascended into heaven. The 40 days of Lent echo all of these moments in redemptive history, most of which focus on a person going without food and water and being sustained by God instead. During Lent, we are called to fasting. Fasting is going without food (and sometimes water) for a designated period of time so that we become more dependent on God always. And while there is plenty of room for creativity in what we give up during Lent (social media, TV, chocolate, even coffee), the overall focus must stay the same: we are actively depriving ourselves of something we normally have and value to work out in our bodies, minds and souls this reality; Jesus is best.
Hopefully, you now know what Ash Wednesday and Lent are about and where they got their roots. Perhaps too, you’ve felt the Holy Spirit nudging you to engage in these ancient ritual rhythms of Christian worship for your growth. In a time of human history where rushing about to acquire and do and be informed are the norm, these practices prove helpful. In a faith tradition that is often confused or panic stricken by pain and suffering, these practices remind us that we are not alone in our brokenness and sin. In a world gone mad with consumption, a season of purposeful lack can be of powerful help.