As you know, Jesus retreated
into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for
his ministry. It was for Him a time of contemplation, reflection,
and preparation. By observing Lent, most Christians join Jesus
on His retreat.
Lent consists of the forty days before Easter.
In the western Church, we skip over the Sundays when we count
the days of Lent, because Sunday is always the joyful celebration
of the Resurrection. Therefore, the first day of Lent in the
western Church is always a Wednesday.
Biblical societies relied very heavily on wood
fires for heating and cooking, which meant that keeping ashes
under control was a major housekeeping task. Then as now, if
a person was preoccupied with something serious, they didn’t
always tend to the housekeeping—it’s the least of their concerns.
Imagine that there is a death in the family. A friend stopping
by to pay their respects might gently say, “Did you know you
have ashes on your face?”
So ashes became a sign of remorse, repentance, and mourning.
Today someone might wear a black armband to signify
that they are in mourning; back then people put ashes
on their foreheads.
You can find biblical examples of this in 2 Samuel 13:19,
Esther 4:1-3,
Job 42:6,
and Jeremiah 6:26. During Lent, ancient Christians mourned
their sins and repented of them, so it was appropriate for
them to show their sincerity by having ashes on their foreheads.
The custom has persisted in the church as secular society has
changed around us.
It is most appropriate on Ash Wednesday,
when we begin a period of sober reflection, self-examination,
and spiritual redirection.
Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service come
from burning the palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm
Sunday celebration. If you burn the palm fronds yourself, don’t
add any other ingredient—just burn the ashes plain.
Some people only celebrate the happy times in Jesus’ life:
Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas. But I think as true
friends, we should also watch and pray with Him on Maundy Thursday,
stand by Him at the cross on Good Friday, and join with
Him into the wilderness during Lent.
.jpg)
.jpg)
