Ash Wednesday

This observance marks the beginning of the season of Lent, which is a time we prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, and other spiritual disciplines.  The service and the season before us are quite different from our long “ordinary” times in the church.

Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality.  The service helps us to realize that both have triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Ash Wednesday and Lent are indeed peculiar and ascetic, which work to deepen and personalize our Christian experience.