For those of you counting, today is Ash Wednesday. Now, if you're like me, you've either never observed Ash Wednesday or you've only started observing it in the last few years. After all, Presbyterians are Protestants, and rituals such as Ash Wednesday and Lent are very Catholic things to do. I didn't hear of Lent, Advent, and other pieces of the liturgical calendar probably until high school. So what is Ash Wednesday? What is Lent?

On Palm Sunday, many churches have celebrations remembering the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem before the Crucifixion. We save the palms used in those celebrations, and on Ash Wednesday of the following year, we burn them to make ashes. When you go to Ash Wednesday service, the minister marks your forehead with the ashes. This reminds you not only of your earthly mortality and repentance before God, but also that you have been marked by Christ and will live in hope with him. It ushers in the beginning of Lent, the forty days leading up to Easter. In the early Church, Lent was the period of preparation before Easter Day baptisms. It allowed you to fast and repent before making a public affirmation of faith in Christ.

What significance do Lent and Ash Wednesday have in a Christian culture that increasingly tends toward the contemporary in its worship and faith expression? Why should we reclaim these traditions?

First, it connects us to our forebearers in faith. When I observe Lent, I bind myself in the community of faith to the earliest Christians. As I discovered at http://www.pcusa.org/ideas/spring04/faqlent.htm, Lent was the last part of an initiation period for new Christians. They practiced a variety of spiritual disciplines, including fasting. In solidarity with the new members, other Christians also fasted during the 40 days leading up to Easter. Thus, by disciplining myself to "give up" something for Lent, I act in solidarity with other Christians-- both those who have come before and those living today around the world.

Lent also causes us to reflect on our relationship with God more intentionally. This year, I hope to add a new spiritual practice to deepen my faith journey. I want to try something I did for a bit last year-- writing devotional poetry in which I notice, pay attention, and wonder about the glory of God. Whether you give something up or do something new, Lent gives you a framework and a reminder of your renewed commitment to faith.

Finally, and for me most importantly, Lent helps me to focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a time to think critically on why we believe what we believe about Jesus, and to remember how that gives us life and hope to work for transformation in the world. Lent today is one of the only Christian observances that hasn't been secularized in some way (too depressing to make into a palm-shaped candy bar), and so there is nothing to distract us from thinking about God. There is a focus in Lent that I find absent from Advent and other periods of celebration.

If you've never observed Lent, I hope you do so this year. You don't have to give something up to do it-- just think more intentionally about your faith and how you express that in everyday life. Do something new for Lent, like write, follow a devotional study, or volunteer your time to charity. Remember, reflect, and repent. Know that God loves you, and you have hope through faith.

"By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." --Genesis 3:19

Kelsey

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