Beauty for Ashes

Today we celebrate Ash Wednesday. It's not a day celebrated in my denomination, but as a student of history and music, I find myself fascinated with the feasts and practices of the Church.  Here's what a quick Internet search revealed about this beginning of the Easter season.

Ash Wednesday is a movable feast which falls 46 days prior to Easter.  The beginning of the 40 day period of fasting known as Lent, Ash Wednesday participants receive the sign of the cross on their foreheads.  In much of Western Christianity, the burned palm fronds from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebration are the source of the ashes. The length of Lent parallels the number of days Christ fasted in the wilderness and serves as a reminder of man's sinfulness and need for repentance.  Why are there 6 additional days between Ash Wednesday and Easter? Sundays are considered "feast days" and are not included in the traditional fast. There are 6 Sundays between Ash Wednesday and Easter....thus the extra days.

When I see ashes on the foreheads of the faithful, my mind immediately goes to the beautiful passage found in Isaiah 61.  This prophetic statement about the coming Messiah reaches its climax in verse 3. The prophet states that the Messiah will "provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes." (Isaiah 61:3a, NIV) As we come to grips with our fallen state, we find ourselves grieving because of the sin that separates us from a loving Heavenly Father. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel clothed themselves in sackcloth and ashes during times of intense grief. How thankful I am that because of the blood of Jesus and His triumphant resurrection from the dead on Easter morning, I no longer have to live a hopeless life filled with grief and shame. He truly has taken my ashes of mourning and replaced them with His glorious beauty.

Today I won't be wearing ashes on my forehead. I have applied the ashes to my heart, however, and have asked the Lord to remind me of His gift and my desperate need for His salvation in the coming weeks. Who knows.....maybe next year I'll participate in a local Ash Wednesday service. Now that I know more about the tradition, I can see why it is so meaningful for so many!