Understanding Ash Wednesday



Join us for the service in the FLC, Feb. 13th at 6:30p.

For some, the observance of Ash Wednesday may be new, especially those whose background is in "free" church traditions.  In the past decade, a huge resurgance of its observance has been seen within the many churches including the Church of the Nazarene.  As with most periods of the Church Calendar outside of Christmas and Easter, some people view Ash Wednesday as an exclusive tool of Roman Catholicism, or at least “High Church” traditions.  But the Church Calendar is an effective way to preach the full gospel to yourself, your family and the church. It focuses our attention on all aspects of Christ’s earthly ministry, from the promise of His coming (Advent) to the gift of His Spirit to the church after his ascension (Pentecost).

 

So What Exactly Is Ash Wednesday?
 

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. The date is set by counting back forty days from Easter (excluding Sundays), which takes you to the Wednesday seven weeks before Easter. The church arrived at this determination in the fourth century. Why forty days? Each day symbolizes one of the forty days when Christ fasted in the wilderness, before Satan tempted Him (Mark 4:2).
 

Three Purposes Of Ash Wednesday:

• to reflect on our sin and the resultant death that reigns in us, and our need for Jesus to save us.
• to renew our commitment to daily repentance — to “die daily,” as Paul said (1 Corinthians 15:31).
• to remember that Christ conquered sin and death.

When do we eat?
 

Ash Wednesday is typically observed as a day of fasting. Which is why a lot of people pig out the day before (“Fat Tuesday”).
 

Why Is It Called “Ash” Wednesday?
Why Do Christians Put Ashes On Their Heads?
 

Ashes are a reminder, in scripture, of our mortality and frailty resulting from the curse of the Fall (Genesis 3:19; 18:27). The Bible also uses ashes as a sign of sorrow or repentance (2 Samuel 13:19; Esther 4:1-3; Jeremiah 6:26).
 

Putting ashes on your forehead or the back of you hand in the sign of the cross is not some kind of magic charm. It is simply a visible reminder of our condition and the power of the cross to forever change that condition.