Y’all…..today is Ash Wednesday, and you’re prolly gonna see a bunch of folks running around with dirty foreheads today.  Reckon wonder what’s that all about?  Since you asked so nicely, I’ll tell ya!

Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the first day of Lent.  You know, that season where “What are you giving up for Lent?” is an incredibly common question.  It’s when we’re expected to give up something as a sacrifice, for us to use that sacrifice to remember what Jesus sacrificed for us.  For most of us, Lent is the time of sometimes painful self-examination, during which we scrutinize our habits, our spiritual practice, and our very lives – hoping to make ourselves better, trying to make ourselves worthy of the love of God.  We “step up” our prayer, fasting, and self-denial in order to remove worldly distractions from our lives.  

On Ash Wednesday, we wear ashes, and not because we forgot to wash our faces.  The spiritual practice of applying ashes on oneself as a sign of sincere repentance goes back thousands of years. Frequently in the days of the Old and the New Testament, when someone had sinned, he clothed his body with sackcloth and covered himself with ashes. [Jer. 6:26]  The sacramental that we are observing today arises from that custom, the spiritual practice of observing public penitence.  Church history tells us that the liturgical practice of applying ashes on one’s forehead during the Lenten Season goes back as far as the eighth century. This was accompanied by different forms of fasting, prayer, sacrifices, charity towards others, etc… The writings of St. Leo, around 461 A.D., tell us that during the Lenten Season, he exhorted the faithful to abstain from certain food to fulfill with their fasts the Apostolic institution of forty days.  In the days of the Old Testament, many tore their clothing as a sign of repentance.

Today, we use the ashes as a reminder of who we are.  The Bible tells us that we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return.  The first human was formed out of the dust of the earth by God and then God breathed life into that dust.  That is a powerful image.  One that is meant to remind us that without the breath or Spirit of God moving in us, we are just like these ashes: lifeless – worthless.

So….what are you giving up for Lent?  I have a suggestion or three.  Instead of giving up chocolate, or sweets, or cola, or whatever other dear little thing we may indulge in, what about doing something that will actually make a difference, not only in your life, but in the lives of those around you?  In this day and age, isn’t it time that we, as Christians, start putting Christ first, start putting his people first?  Isn’t it time that we as true followers of the Jesus that we proclaim learn to treasure what we have been given?   Work for justice.  Work for peace.  Work for understanding.  Work to love the unlovable, the least, the lost, the forgotten. 

Fred Kaan, the lyricist, has written a hymn that is especially meaningful for today:

Put peace into each other’s hand and like a treasure hold it;

protect it like a candle flame, with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hand with loving expectation;

be gentle in your words and ways, in touch with God’s creation.

Put peace into each other’s hand like bread we break for sharing;

look people warmly in the eye:  Our life is meant for caring.

Give thanks for strong yet tender hands, held out in trust and blessing.

Where words fall short, let hands speak out, the heights of love expressing.

Put peace into each other’s hand he is love’s deepest measure;

in love make peace, give peace a chance and share it like a treasure. 

Let us pray:

God, we pray that Your Spirit may rule over all things.  May Your Spirit rule over kings and presidents, over prime ministers and generals, over CEOs and party bosses, over the legislatures and over the bureaucrats, over all citizens.  May Your Spirit guide us on the way of peace on the way of honest dialogue on the way of reconciliation between peoples, on the way of disarmament and justice, on the way of freedom and life for all.

May Your Spirit lead us on the journey of blessings shared with all on the journey of educational  opportunity for all our children on the adventure of research and study that helps all men and women, on the road to meaningful work for all people, on the path of solidarity and love between all our brothers and sisters.

May Your Spirit help us to speak up with courage to share what we have and what we are to challenge the powers that be to offer a message of liberation and life. May your Spirit help us to have a holy and meaningful Lent.  We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord.   Amen.