On Ash Wednesday
What it is & why it matters
I attended my first Ash Wednesday service just a few years ago. Before I moved out and got married, I went to the church I am now on staff at to begin the season of Lent by dwelling on our mortality, earnestly repenting, and receiving the sign of the cross in ashes on our foreheads. I remember coming home and my younger brother seeing the ashes on my forehead and asking, “dude, are you in a cult?”
Since we grew up in a non-denominational, seeker-sensitive, evangelical church, his question was not completely out of bounds. He (nor I until that point) had never seen anything like that, never heard of a liturgical calendar, and never fasted for the season of Lent.
Therefore, I would assume that there are many who may read this who are in the same boat. Maybe you have asked the same question as my brother or felt like you are missing out on something other Christian’s have been celebrating for centuries. No matter your current disposition, I pray this Substack informs you about Ash Wednesday and why it matters.
What is Ash Wednesday?
Ash Wednesday is a holy day in the Christian liturgical calendar (if you do not know what that is, here is a video that will help provide an introduction. It is done by Roman Catholics, but sometimes they just explain things the best). It is a day set aside in the liturgical calendar that marks the beginning of the season of Lent and is centered on repentance, fasting, and a sobering reminder of our mortality. Some places in Scripture that are not about Ash Wednesday specifically, but are helpful for understanding it, are Ecclesiastes 7:2 and Jonah 3:4-6.
“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone, and the living will lay it to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2 NRSV
“Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.” Jonah 3:4-6 NRSV
These passages reveal some biblical themes that are present on Ash Wednesday. Firstly, being aware of your death. As Ecclesiastes and many other places in Scripture remind us, we will die one day. We are bound by death; it is inescapable. Yet, as Christians, not only do we have hope in Christ in our death, we have already died to our sins and have received new life in Him. For us, death is much less of an end and much more of a beginning of what life is really all about: eternity with God. Secondly, as seen in Jonah and all over Scripture, ashes are often used to signify true repentance, as is the case for Ash Wednesday. The ashes we receive are not mere marks of outward profession, but should also be symbols of inward repentance and longing for transformation in Christ.
Why Does Ash Wednesday Matter?
One of my favorite ways to answer any question is by saying, “Because Jesus said so.” That is applicable here, with some context, of course. Jesus commanded those who wish to follow Him to repent[1] and live a lifestyle of repentance. Jesus commanded those who follow Him to fast.[2] Jesus was not only soberly aware of His own death but also taught us to dwell on ours as well.[3] The context that is necessary should go without saying, but Jesus is not talking about Ash Wednesday in these passages. However, if we only celebrated holy days (holidays) because Jesus explicitly said so, we wouldn’t really have any (maybe Passover). Thankfully, the Church has provided a faithful witness over the years through the construction and keeping of the liturgical calendar, which invites us to view time through a divine lens rather than our own.
Ash Wednesday has been celebrated for centuries by saints across varying Christian traditions. It is time set aside to focus on repentance, fasting, and the awareness of our mortality. These things matter because they mattered to Jesus, and because, although we may say they matter to us, how often do our busy schedules allow us to live as if they do? Ash Wednesday is a designated time to be centered on these very things by communing with our local body of Christ, joining with Christians across the globe to repent, receive ashes on our foreheads, and begin the Lenten season.
“You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19b NRSV
Remember, friends, you will die. You also must live. Die to yourself now so that you do not face death wishing you had, and live for Christ now so that you do not look back wishing you had. To live is Christ, to die is gain.[4] Repent and believe in the Gospel.
[1] Mark 1:14-15
[2] Matthew 6:16-18, Matthew 17:21
[3] Matthew 10:28, 13:24-26, John 11:25-26
[4] Philippians 1:21