Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is one of the most solemn days of the church year. This service marks the beginning of a penitential season climaxing on Maundy Thursday. The mood is somber and reflective. Worshipers are asked to keep reverent silence before the service and leave the service in silence. There will be no greeting at the door by the pastor.

This evening, worshipers will have the opportunity to receive ashes on their foreheads as a sign of penitence and baptismal remembrance. Traditionally, ashes are prepared by burning palm branches from last Palm Sunday. In a dramatic way, their use suggests God’s judgment and condemnation of sin, our frailty and total dependence on God, and humiliation and repentance. The words spoken as the ashes are smeared on your forehead are, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” were first spoken to Adam after his fall into sin. We are forcefully reminded of the words of the committal in the Christian Burial service, “... earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Ashes also suggest cleansing and renewal. They were once used as a cleaning agent. Thus, ashes imposed in the shape of a cross symbolize both judgment and baptismal cleansing.