Ash Wednesday
“Sign us with ashes, merciful God, children of dust, as to dust we return. Sign us with ashes, merciful God. Mark us and make us your own.”
These lyrics are the refrain from the hymn Sign Us with Ashes. An important part of our Lenten practice is to mark ourselves with ashes at the beginning of Lent. What does the mark mean? Why do we partake in this odd tradition? The ashes are a sign of our mortality. “From ashes you came and to ashes you shall return.” More than that, the ashes in the sign of the cross on our foreheads are a sign of our sinfulness that can only be wiped away by the cross of Jesus Christ. Finally, the ashes are a sign of our repentance and humility that we carry with us on our journey through Lent.
Next Wednesday, March 5th at 6:00 please make plans to join us for the imposition of the ashes and Holy Communion by candlelight. And feel free to invite a friend or two to join us as well. The service will take place in the sanctuary.
Peace, Josie
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