What is Ash Wednesday?
This evening at our drive through imposition of ashes, someone asked, “What is Ash Wednesday? Why do we do this?”
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is a season of repentance and preparation for the celebration of Easter. Its roots go deep in Christian history and even earlier. There are echoes of the 40 years that the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism.
In the very early days of the church, new converts would be baptized at Easter, and the period leading up to Easter was a time of intense final preparation. Later, individuals who had been separated from the church by serious sin would be reconciled with the church at Easter and they too would have an intense period of preparation. Eventually the whole church joined in to accompany those preparing to join or rejoin the church at Easter.
The three traditional cornerstones of Lent are Prayer, Fasting, and Alms (giving). Over time, traditions of self denial have led to the common current practice of “giving something up for Lent”.
Here’s a link from the United Methodist church with more details: https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-when-did-ash-wed-begin-and-why-do-we-celebrate-it
Are there any questions you still have?