By the end of February Lent will have begun, and for the Christian it is a season that has much more to offer than just the misery of giving up things!! The roots of what we do in Lent are ancient, going way back even to Old Testament times. King David asked God's forgiveness with three symbols of penitence: putting ashes on his head, fasting and wearing sackcloth.
Christians try to make the six weeks of Lent a special season by three similar activities. They are powerful symbols.
Recognising our total dependence on God - starting Lent by being marked with the sign of the Cross;
Self-denial - giving something up during Lent, to remember that Jesus give up everything for us;
Simplification of living - recognising that we are too dependent on material things.

Our Services on Ash Wednesday contain this very old Christian custom. Churchgoers are marked on the forehead with a cross of ashes as a sign of penitence and mortality. The ashes are made by burning palm crosses from last year's Palm Sunday. The ash is sometimes mixed with anointing oil.

Based on God's sentence on Adam in Genesis ch.3 v.19, the priest marks each worshipper on the forehead, and says,

Remember you are dust and unto dust you shall return

And may add,
Turn away from sin and believe the gospel.

As we stand before the altar, the Cross is traced on the forehead exactly where we were marked at Baptism. It is a reminder of all those occasions when we have failed to live up to our baptism and confirmation promises.

The use of anointing oil reminds us of the anointing in the Holy Spirit that took place at our baptism, and that only the power of the Spirit can transform our human frailty.

The cross of ashes symbolises the way Jesus' sacrifice on the cross replaces the Old Testament tradition of making burnt offerings to atone for sin. The cross on the believer's forehead symbolises that through Christ's death and resurrection, all Christians can be free from sin.

The ashes also remind us that God made the first human being by breathing life into dust, and without God, we human beings are nothing more than dust and ashes. It is a timely reminder that death comes to everyone.

Some worshippers leave church with the mark still on their forehead so that they carry the sign of the cross out into the world. Others leave with the ashes washed off as a sign that they have been cleansed of their sin.

Please take the opportunity that Lent offers to look at your own life and your response to the freely given love of Jesus. Join us at one of our Ash Wednesday Services (22nd Feb 10am & 7.30pm,@ St Saviours) and be renewed under the sign of the Cross.

With best wishes
 
Father Will Hazlewood.