ASH
WEDNESDAY IS FEBRUARY 18.
Divine Service
with the Imposition of Ashes is at 7:00 PM.
Remember that
you are dust, and to dust you will return.
These words paraphrase Genesis 3:19 where the Lord
proclaimed a curse upon man when he had first sinned. St.
Paul repeated that thought in his letter to the
Romans: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
Ashes to ashes.
Dust to dust. This is the harsh
reality of sin. The use of ashes long
pre-dates the New
Testament Church . In the era of the Patriarchs, Job confessed
his sin and declared, “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job
42:6) The Imposition of Ashes teaches a
dual lesson.
1) It is
a mark of penitence. We
demonstrate outwardly the sorrow for sin that we have inwardly.
2) It is a mark of death. It is a reminder that we are all dust, and to
dust we will return. The ashes
remind us that we are helpless in our sinful condition. Our only hope is a Savior. We repent of our works. We cling to Jesus for his.
No one should feel obligated to receive the ashes on the
forehead. If you do not want to do it,
the ushers will simply pass you by and go to the next row. Children may participate at the discretion of
their parents.
We will begin the service with the rite. Where the bulletin indicates, the ushers will
begin to invite people by row to come to the communion railing to receive the
ashes. The penitent will kneel at the
railing (like Lord’s Supper), and wait as the pastor applies the ashes to the
forehead in the shape of a cross. Please
resist all temptations to scratch or smear the ashes. (The ashes will easily be washed off with
soapy water.)
This ceremony truly sets the tone for Lenten season. We are marked as sinners. We are marked for death. We are marked as the penitent whose only hope
is Jesus Christ.
Our comfort comes from Jesus who takes our sin. He dies our death. He marks us as his own who have been baptized
into his name. That is where the
penitent find comfort. That is where the
dying find life.
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