AUTHOR: Robin Dugall DATE: 6:36:00 PM ----- BODY:

Ash Wednesday – Many of you know that I spent a considerable amount of time in a traditional, mainline church. Many of you know that “mainlines” are those churches that have a historical foundation…one that is often steeped in liturgical tradition and practice. Because of that, I’m acutely aware of some practices of faith that have been vital in the lives of Christ-followers for centuries. One of these practices focuses on the “season of Lent”…a season for 40 days in which people who follow Jesus meditate on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is a time not too unlike that of entering the wilderness…it is a season that is meant for self-reflection, self-denial and concentration on those acts of God in the incarnate Word (Jesus) that has and continues to transform our lives. Now Ash Wednesday originated centuries ago as the annual “kickoff” to the Lenten season. Some of the largest crowds in the year will show up to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday at many church around the world. Though this is not a holy day of obligation (as described by the catholic tradition), many people would not think of letting Ash Wednesday go by without a trip to a church to be marked with an ashen cross on their foreheads. Even people who seldom come to Church for the rest of the year may make a concerted effort to come for ashes. How did this practice become such an important part of the lives of so many believers? Who came up with the idea for this rather odd ritual? How do we explain the popularity of smudging our foreheads with ashes and then walking around all day with dirty faces? Those who do not share the customs often make a point of telling people that they have something on our foreheads, assuming they would want to wash it off, but many Catholics and “mainlines” who celebrate Ash Wednesday wear that smudge faithfully all day. Ashes in the Bible The origin of the custom of using ashes in religious ritual is a bit obscure, but we find references to the practice in the Old Testament. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance this way: "O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes" (Jeremiah 6:26). The prophet Isaiah, on the other hand, critiques the use of sackcloth and ashes as inadequate to please God, but in the process he indicates that this practice was well-known in Israel: "Is this the manner of fasting I wish, of keeping a day of penance: that a man bow his head like a reed, and lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?" (Isaiah 58:5). The prophet Daniel pleaded for God to rescue Israel with sackcloth and ashes as a sign of Israel's repentance: "I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes" (Daniel 9:3). In the New Testament, Jesus refers to the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes" (Mt 11:21, Luke 10:13). Ashes in the History of the Church Despite all these references in Scripture, the use of ashes in the Church left only a few records in the first millennium of Church history. Thomas Talley, an expert on the history of the liturgical year, says that the first clearly datable liturgy for Ash Wednesday that provides for sprinkling ashes is in 960 AD. Before that time, ashes had been used as a sign of admission to something called, “the Order of Penitents” (penitents meaning those living a lifestyle of humility and spiritual brokenness). As early as the sixth century, a worship rite from Spain called for signing the forehead with ashes when admitting a gravely ill person to the Order of Penitents. At the beginning of the 11th century, it was customary for all the faithful to take part in a ceremony on the Wednesday before Lent that included the imposition of ashes. Near the end of that century, Pope Urban II called for the general use of ashes on that day. Only later did this day come to be called Ash Wednesday. At first, it was only the priests, clerics and men who had ashes sprinkled on their heads, while women had the sign of the cross made with ashes on their foreheads. Eventually, of course, the ritual used with women came to be used for men as well. In the 12th century the rule developed that the ashes were to be created by burning palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. A call to “join” The Order of Penitents The use of ashes at the beginning of Lent is an extension of the use of ashes with those entering the Order of Penitents. This discipline was the way the Sacrament of Penance was celebrated through most of the first millennium of Christian history. Those who had committed serious sins confessed their sins to the bishop or his representative and were assigned a penance that was to be carried out over a period of time. After completing their penance, they were reconciled by the bishop with a prayer of absolution offered in the midst of the community. During the time they worked out their penances, the penitents often had special places in church and wore special garments to indicate their status. This whole process was supposed to remind those who took this journey of conversion and discipleship. At that time, the Church saw falling into serious sin as an indication that a person had not really been converted. Penance was a second attempt to foster that conversion. Early Church fathers even called Penance a "second Baptism." I find that extremely interesting and challenging. So here’s what I’m going to do: 1 – Encourage you to read this description again. It is helpful to know why literally millions of other Christ-followers around the world will be celebrating this season in preparation for the celebration of Easter. 2 – Encourage you this year to join “the order of penitents”. In other words, why not set aside the next 40 days to do that which brings you daily into the knowledge of your own brokenness, yearning for healing, desire for transformation, and humility/dependence upon Jesus. As a part of being in this order, you might want to: Read the Psalms during the next forty days. Read 4 Psalms a day and you’ll have time to spare! Read a book on the Sabbath – the new one by Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God is a good one. Keep a journal that gets specific in the areas of confession and your need for forgiveness. Not that you want to hammer yourself…but picking up on the A.C.T.S. method, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication will keep your heart and mind focused in your prayer time. Fast at least one day per week up until Easter. Daily take 10 to 15 minutes simply to reflect on the areas of your life that need transformation. In other words, what will make you a more faithful Christ-follower? What are those areas in your life that “get in the way” of you being who Jesus wants you to be? Start the habit of reading the One Year Bible – yes, you can start now. No problem! For those really wanting to dive in, read Dallas Willard’s book, The Spirit of the Disciplines or Richard Foster’s book, The Celebration of Discipline and start living a new discipline or two this season. Last but not least, take some time each week to confess to another person. That is powerful! James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed”. Take a risk!

-------- COMMENT-AUTHOR: Rick Ellis COMMENT-DATE:10:35 PM COMMENT-BODY:Thanks Robin for taking the time to thoroughly explain Lent and Ash Wednesday. I love your heart! Miss seeing you around, we must connect. --------