| | Last night, I participated in a service of ashes marking the beginning
of Lent. If you are not aware, Lent is the period of 40 days (not
including Sundays) before Easter. It is a time of repentance and
preparation to celebrate Christ's resurrection. In the service of
ashes, participants are reminded of their own mortality; "Remember that
you are dust, and to dust you shall return". The participants receive a
mark of ashes on their foreheads, roughly in the shape of a cross, a
reminder of our dust origins and destiny.
The service last night
was good. In thinking of my own mortality, I found myself also
reflecting on the hope of the resurrection. Thank God for the death,
but more importantly the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Ash Wednesday
marks the beginning of Lent, it marks the beginning of my fast. Many
people fast during Lent from various items that are important to them
(for me it is caffeine), and in doing so they attempt to identify with
the Suffering Servant. As Paul put it, "I
want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the
fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his
death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11)
What do you think about Ash Wednesday? Have you participated before? Do plan to fast during Lent? |
| | Posted 2/22/2007 10:25 AM - 28 Views - 2 eProps - 1 Comment
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