Ash Wednesday
On March 5 we will observe Ash Wednesday as we enter the Lenten season. Lent is known as a time of repentance and devotion to our Lord, and Ash Wednesday serves as an important reminder for the need to repent. Ashes are often placed on the foreheads of Christians as a visual reminder of the need to repent. The wearing of ashes was a symbol of repentance in biblical times.
Ash Wednesday itself first started to be observed between the 8th and 10th centuries. The roots of Ash Wednesday can be found though even earlier than this. Some early Christians in the first few centuries after Christ continued to utilize ashes as a symbol of repentance. The church historian Eusebius (260-339 AD) wrote about a Christian who covered himself in ashes as he begged the Roman bishop to readmit him into the congregation after he had lapsed into sin.
The traditional formula for Ash Wednesday is “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” This reminds us of two things. The first is that we are descended from Adam, who was made from the dust by God. We read in Genesis 2 that “he Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” The second thing it reminds us of is that because of sin, we too shall die. The wages of sin, according to Romans 6:23, is death.
And yet there is another reminder on Ash Wednesday. The ashes are applied to the forehead in the shape of a cross. For though we are descended from Adam, and the wages of sin is death, the cross reminds us of Christ’s victory over sin and death. In Romans 5, we read: “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:15-19 ESV).
We receive the sign of the cross to remind us as well as others that we are saved through the crucified Christ. He defeated sin, death and the devil for us by giving up His life. For Christ, the Son of God, became man precisely in order to redeem us so that we might have life, both here and in the life to come in heaven.
In Christ,
Rev. David L. Putz, Pastor
Holy Cross Lutheran Church (LCMS)
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Good things are happening at Holy Cross! Praise God for that. When we keep Word and Sacrament ministry at the heart of what we do, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is sown. As we share the Word, God gives the growth and we rejoice as humble stewards of the God who changes lives and hearts. Help us always, Lord, to keep Your Word at the center of our life together under your Holy Cross!
Please continue to pray for our congregation and each other. Don’t forget to visit our church website www.holycross-crawfordsville.org to find links for all our services on YouTube.