Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent

 Why Lent?  From the introduction and day 1 of my book, "A Lenten Sojourn"...

Today begins the 40 days of Lent.  The word "Lent" comes from the word Lencten, which is an old Anglo-Saxon word for "Spring".  Lent begins a 40-day period that ends the Saturday before Easter (Sundays are not counted in Lent because they are considered to be days of celebrating the Resurrection, not the cross). Why 40 days?  Most likely it’s because the number 40 often appears in relation to things related to sin and temptation.  The rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.  The children of Israel wandered for 40 years in the desert.  Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by Satan for 40 days.  During the 40 days of Lent, we have the opportunity to “think”, “remember”, and “reflect” on issues of sin, what Christ has done for us on the cross, and how we can live more clearly for Him.  

Often Christians give up something for Lent.  Why?  Perhaps it’s the desire to identify with Christ’s sacrifice for us. Matthew 16:24 (ESV) -  "Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'"

 By tradition, in many of the mainline churches, ashes are placed on the head of those who come to worship today.  Why Ashes? Biblically, ashes have always stood for mourning, for a repentant spirit.  The Old Testament world often depicted mourning as people tearing their clothes, or wearing sackcloth, and sitting in dust and ashes.  At a funeral service, especially graveside, we return the body to the earth, "ashes to ashes, dust to dust".   

Ashes symbolize the temporal quality of life.  Our lives "are but a vapor, which appears for a minute and then vanishes away."  We live with the reality that we are not going to live forever in this body, in our world.  Our lives will come to end, and if not for Jesus' death on the cross, we'd live without the hope of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life. 1 Peter 2:24  He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds, you have been healed. However this day strikes you - and I hope it means something to you - make a point of coming back each day as we think, ponder, and pray our way through these 40 days leading up to Easter.

                                                -  Pollasch, Elliott. A Lenten Sojourn (pp. 9-10). Kindle Edition. 

Among the many readings to do in Lent, perhaps none is richer or more helpful than to immerse ourselves in the Psalms. Eugene Peterson reminds us: “Psalms are the most accurate mirrors of the human heart we have. It is significant that they say these two things: humanity is involved deeply in unhappiness and wrongdoing, and God is cosmically involved in both a glorious creation and a gracious redemption.”

Of course, there's much we can read. For example on this first day of Lent, one of my readings was 2 Corinthians 5:20 - 6:2…

“Brothers and sisters:

We are ambassadors for Christ,

as if God were appealing through us.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Working together, then,

we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

For he says:

In an acceptable time, I heard you,

and on the day of salvation, I helped you.

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;

behold, now is the day of salvation