FAQ for Ash Wednesday

This year for Ash Wednesday, I will be on the patio of the local Starbucks offering communion, prayer, and the institution of ashes for locals.  I thought a bit of information might be good to have handy and put this together.  It's still in the editing stage, so if you have input, please comment!

What is Lent?

Lent is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) that precedes the celebration of Easter. It is often considered a time of preparation and prayer to be receptive to the gift of eternal life that comes through Jesus Christ.

 What is Ash Wednesday?

 Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. This year it falls on March 5^th.  Ash Wednesday is marked by services of prayer, repentance, confession, communion, and the imposition of ashes (the sign of the cross made in ashes on the forehead).

Why do people wear ashes?

 Ashes are meant to be a reminder of our mortality and of our sinfulness.  In Genesis, after Adam and Eve sin, God tells them, “from dust you have come and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19).  This passage reminds us that we are mortal and will all eventually die.  Additionally, the sign of the cross made in ashes is a reminder of our need for repentance (turning away from our sin).

Why do some churches do this and others don’t?

 In the scriptures, wearing ashes is a sign of mourning.  There is no specific scripture that tells us to wear ashes to prepare for Easter.  Over the years, the Church has created a variety of rituals that remind us of our relationship with God and help make our faith become more tangible.  The practice of wearing ashes on Ash Wednesday is one of those practices. So, some churches have adopted this ritual as part of their custom, other churches have not.  Wearing ashes does not make your more Christian or more faithful.  It is an act that invites us to prayerful repentance and should simply be regarded as a means of drawing into conversation with God. 

If someone asks me about it, what should I say?

 You can give whatever explanation you are comfortable with. Some simple answers include:

·         The ashes remind me that I am mortal.

·         The ashes remind me that I am sinful.

·         The ashes invite us to repentance.

·         The ashes remind me that from dust I have come and to dust I shall return.

·         The ashes invite me to turn my heart to God in the season of Lent.

What is fasting and why do people do it?

Fasting is traditionally thought of as abstaining from food for a period of time (commonly 24 hours, or missing 2 or 3 meals).  In Lent, Christians often fast from a particular food item (like chocolate, ice cream, or meat).  There is a strong scriptural foundation for fasting.  Fasting from food reminds us that we are not sustained by food alone (Deuteronomy).  It also reminds us of people around the world who daily struggle to have enough food.  If you have physical limitations (like diabetes) it is best to talk with a doctor before participating in an extended fast.  Though fasting is commonly related to food, we can fast from most anything. Some people fast from TV, from Facebook, from unnecessary spending, from self-deprecation, among other activities.  Fasting in this way draws us into greater consciousness about how we spend our time, money, and energy. 

How else do people prepare for Easter?

There are a lot of ways to utilize Lent as a season of preparation for Easter.  Fasting is a common way.  Other people choose to add a devotional practice to their lives.  Some might add a daily prayer time. Others might read a regular devotional. Some churches offer special studies and classes in Lent that you can take advantage of.  Some people might be intentional about ministering to someone during Lent. You could volunteer at a shelter, take a meal to a family that is struggling, offer to give respite time to a caregiver, or donate items to a local clothes closet.  Other people make a special offering during Lent sacrificing an amount of money to share with someone in need.  During the last week of Lent, known as Holy Week, many churches will have additional worship services to mark the last days before Jesus’ crucifixion. You could attend a Maundy Thursday service, a Seder dinner, the Stations of the Cross, or a Good Friday service.

 What is communion?

 Communion is a holy meal of bread and wine (or juice) that is shared within the Christian community. The tradition is based in the Jewish tradition of Passover, which Jesus shared with his 12 disciples the night before he was crucified.  The bread in the Jewish tradition represented the sacrificial lamb.  At dinner with his disciples, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and shared it with his disciples saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Take and eat and do this in remembrance of me.”  In essence, Jesus took the old tradition of the Passover sacrificial lamb and gave it new meaning saying “I am the sacrificial lamb.” That means his sacrifice is the one that forgives our sins and sets us right with God.  At the end of the Passover meal, there is a cup of wine that is called the cup of Elijah. It is understood as a cup of hope and promise that God will come again to save the people.  Jesus took that cup at the end of the meal and said, “This is my blood which is poured out for you. It is the cup of the new covenant. Take and drink and do this in remembrance of me.” Again Jesus took an old tradition and put new meaning on it teaching the disciples that his blood is the blood of the sacrificial lamb and that through him a new covenant is made to save and forgive the people.  Christians have continued this tradition of sharing in the bread and wine (some traditions, including ours use juice instead of wine so that everyone can participate in communion) as a reminder of what Jesus does for us so that we might be forgiven and saved.

How can I be forgiven?

God is the one who forgives us of our sins.  To be forgiven you simply need to recognize your sins (the things/actions/habits in your life that block, damage, or impair your relationship with God and with others) and ask God for forgiveness.  As Christians, we believe that forgiveness is freely given to all persons who ask because of the perfect sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. 

Ash Wednesday Resource

Someone shared this on Facebook today and I loved the ideas.  We have 2 Ash Wednesday services. The first one is early in the morning and isn't much of a traditional service. It's more a time to come and pray and take communion and receive the ashes so they can be a testament for the whole day.  I hope to use these ideas in that time.

CLAY

Jeremiah 18:1-6
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.
5Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

Reflection: One of the ways in which sin is described in the Bible is as a “hardness of heart.” Do you ever feel that your heart is hard, that it is inflexible or judgmental? Do you keep your guard up in your relationships with others and/or with God? Reflect on the way in which this is true.

Action: Take a piece of clay. Warm it in your hands and knead it until it becomes pliable. Give it a new shape – perhaps a small bowl which could symbolize receptivity to God and to God’s forgiving love.

WATER

Psalm 51:10-12
10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
11Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing£ spirit.

Reflection: One of the ways in which we can understand Lent is to see it as “Spring Cleaning.” Just as we will clean our houses in preparation for a visit from a special guest, so we take time to examine our lives in preparation for our encounter with the risen Christ at Easter. Are there closets where you store past resentments? Clean them out! Is there a sink full of dishes with the residue of negative behaviors? Start scrubbing!

Action: Dip your hands into the water in the bowl on the table before you, and wipe your hands dry on the cloth provided. As you do so, reflect on what your life could be like, thoroughly rinsed with God’s love. Take a marble as a reminder of God’s cleansing love.

OIL

Lamentations 3:19-23
19The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!
20My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.
21But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
22The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Reflection: The author of Lamentations spends most of his time complaining, both about the world’s afflictions and his own. One thought gives him or her peace: the steadfast love of God. The knowledge of God’s unshakable love, even in the midst of trouble, is finally the grease which makes the squeaky wheel of lamentation fall silent.

Action: Dip your finger in the oil in the bowl on the table before you and smooth it onto the back of your hand. As you do, reflect on the parts of your life which are stiff and squeaky – places where you are stuck, places which give you cause for continual complaint. Consider how the love of God might lubricate these parts of your life, renewing them, making them usable in a way they have not been before.

ASHES

Genesis 3:19c
19 “…you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Reflection: Ash Wednesday used to begin a season of 40 days of deadly serious penance. It included a type of fasting far stricter than most diets today, embracing the absence of all life’s pleasures and enjoyments. There is evidence that marking the face or body with ashes began in Gaul in the 6th century and was at first confined to public penitents doing penance for grace and notorious sin, whom the clergy tried to comfort and encourage by submitting themselves to the same public humiliation. For our spiritual ancestors, the people of Jewish and other Near Eastern cultures, wearing ashes was a sign of mourning and lamenting. Ashes were usually associated with sackcloth, which was the clothing worn to mourn the death of a beloved or to lament a personal or communal disaster. Humans are the only species we know of who are capable of contemplating their own death. Yet few of us do. Ash Wednesday challenges us to reflect on our own death so that we can truly embrace life. The mark of ashes reminds us that only by a Christ-like death can we experience the promise of Easter’s life.

Action: Dip your finger in the charcoal and make a cross on the back of your hand. Press firmly. (It may work best in the same spot where you have already rubbed in the oil.) Reflect on the gift of life over death symbolized by the cross. Offer this prayer: O God, may I often remember the symbol of the cross upon my hand and say, “I am dust that will return to dust, yet in You I trust.”