Join Rev. Ashley Jenkins for our Ash Wednesday Service on February 14 from 12-12:30 in the chapel. (Additionally, she will be in the chapel from 10:45-11:45 to offer drop in Ashes and prayer. Do not skip class for Ash Wednesday but drop in between classes.)
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation, and spiritual discipline. Ash Wednesday emphasizes two themes: our sinfulness before God and our human mortality. The service focuses on both themes, helping us realize that both have been triumphed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Ashes are an ancient symbol In Genesis, we read that God formed human beings out of the dust of the earth. After expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the first human beings are told by God, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” Genesis 3:19. The Hebrew word translated dust, is occasionally translated ashes elsewhere. Throughout scripture, ashes are part of rituals when people seek forgiveness and mourn their sin (see Numbers 19:9, 17; Hebrews 9:13; Jonah 3:6; Matthew 11:21, and Luke 10:13).
During the service, ashes will be placed on your forehead in the sign of a cross. During this time, we “Repent, and believe the gospel” recalling the message of both John the Baptist and Jesus (Mark 1:15).
