Text: Genesis 3:17-19, Job 42:1-6, Romans 3:23, James 5:13-16
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
These are the words a priest utters as he smears a cross of ashes onto his congregant’s forehead during an Ash Wednesday service. It’s a somber declaration. In fact, some instead say, “Remember that you have to die.”
For more than a thousand years, Christians around the world have begun the Lenten season this way: with the sober acknowledgement that with humanity came sin, and with sin came death. We are free, but not required, to do the same.
So what is Ash Wednesday, and why do many Christians observe it?
Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance. During Lent, we focus on our need for the death and resurrection of Jesus; we focus on our need to be forgiven. Ash Wednesday is a day where we take a page from the book of Job and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6). We remember that from the dust we were made and to the dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19). We remember that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, and yes, we all must die (Romans 3:23).
Ash Wednesday is a day of hope. Without Christ, the words “remember that you have to die” are hard ones. But with Christ, they are a reminder that, though our bodies will one day return to dust, we have already been given the hope of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Ash Wednesday is an opportunity to publicly profess our faith. The ashen cross the congregant wears is an outward sign of both repentance and hope. People see the mark of the cross at their work, in class, and at the grocery store. Wearing the ashes is a way to repent of our rebellion against God and “confess our sins one to another” (James 5:16).
On Ash Wednesday we admit our limits and acknowledge the brevity of this life. Whether in a formal Ash Wednesday service or privately in our homes, we can use tomorrow, the first day of the Lenten season, to remember that from the dust we were made and to the dust we shall return. Even so, in Christ, we live in the eternal hope of the resurrection.
Come Lord Jesus,come.
Because He lives I can face tomorrow
Because he lives all my fears are gone.
I love this. So beautiful.
1 CORINTHIANS 15:36
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow—you are not sowing the future body, but only a seed…
I turn to God’s words in the Bible whenever feelings of doom and gloom challenge me with the concept of death and then compare it with how God wants us to hope and trust in Him when He deemed it worthy to explain to us how death is but a transition to an eternity of perfect bliss because of His redemption in Jesus Christ and an eternity of perfect bliss that cannot be comprehended by sinful, finite mankind.
We do all we can in order to live and not die. God, however, says we must die in order to live. When you sow a seed, it must die in the ground before it can grow. What we see as the ultimate tragedy, He sees as the ultimate triumph.
And when a Christian dies, it’s not a time to despair, but a time to trust. Just as the seed is buried and the material wrapping decomposes, so our fleshly body will be buried and will decompose. But just as the buried seed sprouts new life, so our body will blossom into a new body.
The seed buried in the earth will blossom in heaven. Believer’s souls and bodies will reunite, and we will be like Jesus.
So beautiful!
Beautifully said
This is amazing thank you!
I love this!! Thank you for sharing!
This year for the first time I am a member of a church within which I have participated in an observation of Ash Wednesday. I learned if it’s meaning and significance in the life of a Christian.
I love the simplicity of your response. Praying that your relationship with Christ strengthens and enriches you during this season. May you feel his presence daily, sister. Hang here with SRT & let them shepherd you
We are his and that is a peaceful reminder to have given us as the world can be so cruel especially the world we live in today. Thanks for each daily devotional it helps us all get through and stay on the right path
Prior to this/the other day I only connected Ash Wednesday with the Catholic Church. I go to a non-denominational church…after reading from different sources on Ash Wednesday, I am now confused why it is not more widely practiced in the Christian church…I almost considered finding a location yesterday to participate.
I agree – I wish our non-denominal church took a look at this in a broader context (vs that’s a Catholic thing).
I attend a Lutheran church and we recognize Ash Wednesday. I think there are other denominations that do as well.
Our non-denominational church totally recognizes Ash Wednesday and the season of lent. They even give us tools to go deeper into the meaning. SRT was one. I really enjoy this time with my Lord and savior. It’s a time that is truly ours that has not been commercialized.