#BibleLesson Expressions of Faith. Ash Wednesday and A Lenten Relationship
Bonus Blog.
Today is known throughout Christianity as Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Take a moment to think about Jesus's sacrifice and God's love for you. There is probably a service tonight in your church or a church close to you.
I’d like to take a moment to share a little about the importance of Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent in the church. Robert Webber writes in his book, Worship: Old and New,
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent in the church. Robert Webber writes in his book, Worship: Old and New,
“Lent signifies a period of preparation before Easter…. Gradually the time of preparation was associated with the number forty: Moses spent forty years preparing for his mission; the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years; Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness….The period of Lent was gradually marked off by Ash Wednesday at its beginning and Holy Week at its ending. The beginnings of Ash Wednesday lie in obscurity. It was in use by the fifth century, and the meaning of it was derived from the use of ashes, a penitential symbol originating in the Old Testament and used in the church as early as the second century to symbolize repentance.”
Webber, who wrote a great deal concerning the role of worship in the life of the Christian. He reflected in his later years on his experiences during Ash Wednesday.
Webber, who wrote a great deal concerning the role of worship in the life of the Christian. He reflected in his later years on his experiences during Ash Wednesday.
“For most people coming from my background, an Ash Wednesday service and Lent are quite foreign and somewhat threatening. The Christmas cycle is much less threatening because Christmas themes are so prevalent within our culture. Also, because the secularization of Christmas is so apparent, most Christians are attracted to the possibility of rising above the materialism of the Christmas culture.
"I will never forget the first Ash Wednesday service I attended. When I walked into the sanctuary I noticed how the decorum and mood of the people were so entirely different from that of the Christmas cycle. This mood immediately communicated the different nature of the spiritual discipline ordered by the Lenten season.
"The lights were dimmed, those already in the pews were quietly praying, as other people arrived they were greeted with quiet whispers, a simple nodding of the head, or silence. There seemed to be a seriousness attached to the worship into which we were entering, a somber spirit to which I was unaccustomed.
"[Lent] calls us back to the basics, to God's love for us, and to our response to that love. In the Gospel reading appointed for Ash Wednesday, Jesus calls us to practice our piety in faith, to pray, to give alms, and to fast (Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21).
"The emphasis is not faith as a mere belief system—an objective set of propositions to which we give intellectual assent—but faith as an embodiment, a life lived out in true piety characterized by prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. What lies at the root of each of these three practices of spirituality is not a mere rote, impersonal ritual but a truly engaging, demanding, and committed relationship.”
Ash Wednesday challenges you to observe Lent by giving something up This is a type of fasting that has been called ‘Blessed Subtraction.’ The goal of this fasting is to find something that is a part of your daily life and subtract it from your life in order to be reminded on a daily basis of the presence of Christ in your life.
Why do we do this?
"[Lent] calls us back to the basics, to God's love for us, and to our response to that love. In the Gospel reading appointed for Ash Wednesday, Jesus calls us to practice our piety in faith, to pray, to give alms, and to fast (Matt. 6:1-6, 16-21).
"The emphasis is not faith as a mere belief system—an objective set of propositions to which we give intellectual assent—but faith as an embodiment, a life lived out in true piety characterized by prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. What lies at the root of each of these three practices of spirituality is not a mere rote, impersonal ritual but a truly engaging, demanding, and committed relationship.”
Ash Wednesday challenges you to observe Lent by giving something up This is a type of fasting that has been called ‘Blessed Subtraction.’ The goal of this fasting is to find something that is a part of your daily life and subtract it from your life in order to be reminded on a daily basis of the presence of Christ in your life.
Why do we do this?
It is an opportunity to prepare ourselves for Easter. Each year, we set aside 40 days to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s accomplishment of defeating death on Easter morning.
Grace and peace,
Pastor John
Thanks to Pastor John Parish of Gardendale Church of the Nazarene, Gardendale, AL. Their service begins at 6:30 local time.
If you are in the San Diego, California area, I invite you to check the website of Mission Church of the Nazarene for a list of Lenten season activities.
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