I grew up attending a hodgepodge of Protestant churches, depending on where we lived in any given year. None of them had Ash Wednesday services, or if they did, my family didn’t attend them. I was introduced to the tradition when I married into a Lutheran family.
That’s when I learned that Ash Wednesday is a day set aside for reflecting on the ways in which we’ve fallen short of the mark and need to contemplate the error of our ways. It’s an annual invitation to repent for the wrongs committed and to be assured that, imperfect though we are, God loves us still. Also, it reminds us that we’re mortal and motivates us to make the most of however many days we may be granted.
Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter. It’s the official start of Lent, a time of solemn penitence that leads us through the passion of Christ to the triumphant and jubilant celebration of Easter. Many give up something during this period. Some fast as a way to show appreciation for Jesus, who fasted for 40 days in the desert after his baptism.
The name Ash Wednesday is derived from early church traditions when penitents would engage in public penance. A religious leader would sprinkle them with ashes. They then dressed in sackcloth until Maundy Thursday, during Holy Week.
That tradition began to disappear by the 10th century, replaced by the current practice of a worship leader using ashes to make the sign of the cross on a worshiper’s forehead. These ashes generally come from burning the palms used the previous Palm Sunday. The tradition is inspired by the book of Daniel, which refers to fasting with ashes as a sign of penance.
Today the imposition of ashes is a powerful part of the liturgy. It creates an external, visible sign of an internal, invisible spiritual life. The solemn words “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” spoken to each worshiper as the ashes are marked on their forehead, is a somber reminder that we are finite. It also calls us to recommit ourselves to the essentials of the Christian faith—worship, prayer, generosity, self-denial and service to others.
I have always struggled with the theology that we are worms who need to grovel to please God so that God can forgive us and redeem us. If God is love, which I believe to be true, and we are created in the image of God, which I also believe to be true, it makes no sense to me that we are basically evil, rotten, despicable creatures.
I rather think that we are imperfect, blemished images of God. We are fallible and sometimes make poor choices. We say and do things that make a mess of our relationships with God, neighbors, self and the natural world. Our best intentions fall flat and make bad situations worse. In Jesus, we have the perfect role model of a fully mature human with full faith in God the Creator. Christ’s sacrifice has reconciled us to God for our worst actions toward each other, and his resurrection assures us that God gets the last word.
This is true even when our actions and words cause great harm to others. For my personal shortcomings and failures, I do feel remorse, shame and guilt. An Ash Wednesday service gives me a mental reset, accompanied with a resolve to make amends and do better next time.
I think of it as tending a garden. Some things need to be pruned away. Even if they were once beneficial, they no longer are. Other things need fertilizer, which often happens in worship when I am nourished by the music, words and meal. A garden needs the warmth of the sun, which I get from engaging with others in community.
Ash Wednesday is an annual reminder that we are created in the image of God, who loves us despite all our poor choices. Though the wrong we’ve done cannot be undone, there is always an opportunity to do better. When we see our reflection in a mirror, let the ashes remind us that, though the wrong we’ve done may be strong, God isn’t done with us yet. God can salvage the messes we make of things. Believing that, we can get a good night’s sleep and try again tomorrow.
