24 February 2012
On Ash Wednesday
Today, with the beginning of Lent, comes the ashes. This soot applied to the foreheads on the first day of the purple season−Ash Wednesday−can be a rich symbol. It is a gift of the Middle Ages, when Christians sorry for their sins came to the church as Lent began, barefoot and clad in rough cloth. After the prayers, ashes made from palms (whose leaves have been saved for almost a year from the previous Palm Sunday) were tossed into the air or sprinkled on the head.
The Ashes mark our sin. They remind us that because we sin, we die, and dying we return to dust, to ashes, with the ashes we confess what we already know about ourselves, wearing our sins upon our brow.
The ashes went wrong when they were linked to penance-something we must do that makes us suffer, as if our suffering, could earn us some forgiveness. Nothing could be further from the truth! It is His suffering on the cross of Calvary that saves, and His alone. If the ashes infringe upon the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, then they must be put away. And so they were, falling out of use in many Lutheran Churches.
And yet there was a time, you may recall, when ashes were a substitute for soap, something for cleansing and renewal. Now that gets closer to the truth. We are Christians, and for us the last word is never sin, to death, or ash. The last word-the endpoint, the fulfillment of the Law (Romans 10:4), God’s yes! (2 Corinthians 1:20), God or us (Romans 5:8), the fullness of the Gospel−is Jesus Christ.
And so if you come near the altar this Ash Wednesday, the ashes will be traced upon your skin where Name and water once graced you at baptism. They will be given to you in the sign of the cross, reminding you that you belong to Christ, that he alone forgives you, and that there is no penance you can do to save yourself, in part or full. Free of charge, it is He who cleanses and renews you, He who saves you as a gift (Ephesians 2:1-10).
The ashes mark your salvation. They remind us because of Christ, we live, and living to return to life, to discipleship. With ashes we confess what we already know about ourselves, wearing our salvation on our brow.
The gift of ashes is a symbol, rich and deep, but nothing more. If you think it will help your piety, your discipline, your rejoicing, your faith, then come to the front for ashes on this first Wednesday of the purple season. And if you do not, or if you would simply like to pass it by this year, please do! Faith finds an aid−but not its ground−in this ancient custom. The only ground of faith and life is Christ.
Always remember with the ashes or without, you are free, as you are Christ’s.
Happy Lent!
Scott Bruzek
