7 pm, March 1
Imposition of Ashes and Holy Eucharist
Ash Wednesday
Liturgy
by the Rev. Elizabeth Coulter
Ash Wednesday
is a day of fasting and penitence, and its liturgy does have
an austere quality to it. After we hear the lessons and the
Word preached, we are invited to observe a Holy Lent, and
we are invited to the imposition of ashes. As we are marked
on our foreheads with those ashes, we hear the words, "Remember
that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." There
words remind us of the mortality of all creatures.
For me,
it is always a reminder that death and life are intertwined.
The Rev. Nancy Roth wrote, "Our sense of invincibility
often causes us to wait until 'tomorrow' (which for some of
us will never come) to heal an estrangement, to contact a
cherished friend, to pursue an activity that gives us joy
and fulfillment and to spend time with God."
As the sign
of the cross is traced on our foreheads with those ashes as
the symbol of death and of life, may we hear and be reminded
that our bodies are dust and will someday return to dust and
that the life of each creature on earth must never be taken
for granted. May we allow those ashes to prepare us for forty
days of spending time with our God as we prepare for the glorious
celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.
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