Wednesday, March 2
Service of Imposition of Ashes
12 pm (spoken) and 7 pm (with choir)
7 pm Worship will also be on Facebook Live
Why do we wear ashes on Ash Wednesday?
Since ancient times, the wearing of ashes has been a symbol of repentance and humility. Job, the people of Nineveh, and the prophets all used ashes as a symbol of their brokenness and need for God’s mercy. Ashes are also a symbol of healing. Ashes were used as part of the cleansing ritual to welcome someone back into the community (Numbers 19:17). On Ash Wednesday, we make the sign of the cross on our foreheads as a reminder that we too sin and we too are healed. Ash Wednesday worship offers a time of extended confession; a time for reflecting on, for letting go of, all that keeps us separate from God. We then receive the ashes on our foreheads in the shape of a cross, a visual reminder that nothing can separate us from God’s love.
