The season of Lent is just one week away and we will observe the beginning of this time of penitence and reflection with our annual Service of Ashes on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. in the CRC Sanctuary.
Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means “spring.” The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts, and then became a time for reflection and repentance by all Christians. Even though it is a season of sober reflection on our sins, Sundays are always little Easters, and the reverent spirit of Lent should be tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection. Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us to realize that both have
Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us to realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship, and the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful nonverbal and experiential way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation.
The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship, and the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful nonverbal and experiential way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation.
Make sure to get this important service of worship on your calendar today!