Ash Wednesday: To Be or Not To Be
Thoughts on Ash Wednesday: to be or not to be? That is the question.
I write from different perspectives. In my younger years, I celebrated Ash Wednesday with ashes in the sign of a cross on my forehead. This was an outward reminder that, I belong to Christ and am called to take up my cross daily. Later on, I set Ash Wednesday aside in Non-Denominational settings. For the most part, Ash Wednesday was just a memory of something I used to do when I was "religious." Now? I eagerly embrace the tradition that often brings people to tears as they lean into the personal significance of the moment. I must confess, I also washed the ashes off late afternoon in an effort to be congruent of my whole faith journey. It's too much for one post. I'll share the nutshell of my conclusions of Ash Wednesday services from the viewpoint of Lent 2025.
To me, it's similar to the question from the Samaritan woman in John 4. She wanted to know who was right. Samaritans worshipped on one mountain while Jews worshipped on another. Jesus brought her back to the heart of the issue. It wasn't about where. It was about Who. Jesus made it clear that the Father's desire was for people to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Father searches for such people.
Jesus did not take sides regarding who had the correct traditions or outward appearance with proper protocols. He invited this dear lady into relationship so she could actually know the One she was called to worship. It was in this conversation that Jesus disclosed Himself to her as being Messiah. Wow!
Regarding Ash Wednesday, it also goes back to the heart. Why do we do what we do? Do we wear the ashes as an obligatory outward display with little inward turning towards God? Or do we stay far away from the tradition while esteeming ourselves as better than those who partake?
I don't think it matters if we are Baptist, Presbyterian, Non-Denominational, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal, or Amish. What really matters is... does our worship come from a heart relationship or does it go through the motions. I've done it both ways. Even now, I sometimes find myself singing songs with little thought. On a good day, I catch myself with reminders to make a subtle switch to worship... really worship. Outwardly, I might stand or sit or kneel or dance or shout or remain silently still. It's not about which of those "mountains" I stand on. It’s about the One Whom I am called to love because He first loved me.
People look at the outward appearance. God looks at the heart.
““Sir,” the woman said, “I see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.””