Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Ashes show our need for Jesus.
Ash Wednesday falls on February 10th this year and that day marks the beginning of the season of Lent. On Ash Wednesday, Christians receive ashes upon their forehead to serve as a symbol of our repentance and of our mortality. This symbolism shows our need for Jesus and for the forgiveness and life He freely provides. As the ashes are placed upon our foreheads, we hear these words from Genesis 3:19: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
When we leave the church grounds on Ash Wednesday, many of us will go to public places, such as the mall or a department store. The ashes can serve as an evangelism tool. Some people may ask you, “What is that on your head?” And you can respond and talk about how Jesus has saved you from your sins.
Eventually, everyone who wears the ashes will wash them off. As we all wash off the ashes from our foreheads, we remember our baptism and the sense of cleansing and relief thanks to Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
When Ash Wednesday is over, we continue through the 40 days of Lent that leads up to Holy Week. These 40 days are solemn in preparation for Easter. Many of us will fast, or give up an earthly desire during Lent. Lent’s 40 days symbolizes the 40 days that Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
When Easter arrives, we again remember what Christ has done for us by his glorious resurrection. And at Christ’s second coming, we will have a resurrection like His.
In Jesus’ Name,
Vicar Peter Adelsen