Why ashes?
Today is Ash Wednesday. You are
invited to Epiphany at 5:30 pm for
our meal of pulled pork sandwiches, salads and desserts. But more importantly,
make time to begin this Lent with a solemn evening of worship at 6:30 pm . We will express our sorrow over sin
with the imposition of ashes upon a sackcloth banner.
But why ashes?
Gardeners know that ashes can
be used to help grow plants. But basically ashes are worthless. In fact they
are often less than worthless - they are a hindrance and a liability. You can’t make ashes pretty by painting them,
and you can’t make ashes smell good by spraying perfume on them. Ashes are just
ashes.
And so it is with us - people
are just people. When all is said and done, no matter how much righteous paint
we cover ourselves with, no matter how much virtuous perfume we spray on
ourselves, what we are left with are thoughts and feelings and actions that are
best buried and forgotten.
So why do we bother tonight
smearing ashes upon a banner? Why do we gather and remember what we are on Ash
Wednesday?
The answer is also in those
black ashes. For these are not randomly smeared upon sackcloth by children and
adults. They are in a shape. They are in the shape of the cross. The symbolism
this evening speaks loudly, unmistakably. Though your body will someday become
nothing more than a heap of ash, a pile of dirt in a dirt-filled world, it is
the cross that has saved you. Jesus Christ, your Savior, died upon that cross
so that He might grant life to your dead body and bring light to your black
soul.
Worship with us this evening so
that we may see the cross in those ashes.
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