ASH WEDNESDAY

This Wednesday we'll be having an Ash Wednesday service here at New Life. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days (forty days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a day when we focus on repentance and identifying with Christ in His suffering for us on the cross (Philippians 3:10-11). During an Ash Wednesday service, there is a time for confession, reflection, and commitment. Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitents way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults. During an Ash Wednesday service, the symbol of the cross is made in ashes on a person’s forehead as a symbol of that person’s identification with Jesus Christ. Ash Wednesday and the subsequent season of Lent is usually observed by denying oneself of something (in essence fasting) in order to better reflect upon what Jesus sacrificed for us on the cross.

Why is New Life having an Ash Wednesday service? While Ash Wednesday and Lent have been an important season in many liturgical churches, I believe that many Protestant churches (including ours) fail sometimes to fully reflect on what Jesus did for us on the Cross. We celebrate and reflect on Christ's coming into the world at Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. Shouldn't we also take some time to seriously contemplate and reflect on what Christ did for us on the Cross? Like Paul we need to know the "fellowship of sharing in his sufferings." When we fast and deny ourselves during Lent, we spend that time and energy reflecting on what Christ did for us.

Have you ever seen the movie The Passion of the Christ? When I watch that movie, I am often overwhelmed with sorrow for the price Christ had to pay for my sin. Ash Wednesday and Lent are seasons meant to help us reflect on the very same thing: sorrow for the price Christ had to pay for our sin.

Another reason why we need to observe Ash Wednesday and Lent is to focus on what it means for us to live a repentant life. These days are a great time for us to focus our hearts and lives again on what it means to live our lives with hearts that are fully turned toward God.

I hope you'll join us for our service. It will be about 45 minutes long and highly interactive. There will be time for confession, a time for commitment, and an optional time for the imposition of ashes. Our children's director, Louann Davis, has activities planned for children from birth to 3rd grade in our children's area. I sincerely hope you'll make plans to be here. One heads up: be thinking about what indulgence you might be willing to give up until Easter in order to help you better focus on the sacrifice Christ has made for you.