Ash Wednesday and Lent
Why We Begin the Journey to Easter This Way
As we approach the Christian season of Lent, let us take a moment to look at what this special season means and why it is important. Lent is a time when believers intentionally prepare their hearts for Easter – turning from distractions, returning to God in prayer, and renewing their devotion to Jesus Christ. The season begins with Ash Wednesday and carries us through several key holy days that help us walk with Christ on the way to the cross – and then to the joy of the resurrection.
Lent: What it is and what days it includes
Lent is the 40-day season (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and continues through Holy Week, which includes:
• Palm Sunday – the day we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
• Maundy Thursday – the night we remember the Last Supper and Jesus’ command to love one another
• Good Friday – the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus
• Holy Saturday – a day of waiting and reflection as we remember Christ in the tomb
• Easter Sunday – the celebration of Christ’s resurrection
The word “Lent” comes from the Old English “lencten,” which means “spring.”
After Easter Sunday, the church enters the season of Eastertide (also called the Easter Season). It lasts 50 days, from Easter Day through Pentecost, celebrating the resurrection of Christ and the new life we have in Him.
Why 40 days?
The 40 days of Lent connect with the Bible’s repeated use of the number 40 as a season of testing, refining, and preparation – a time that leads to deeper trust in God:
• Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness were years of dependence, where God taught His people to follow Him.
• Moses’ 40 days on the mountain were days of drawing near to God and receiving His word.
• Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness were days of temptation and testing that ended in faithful obedience and readiness for ministry.
Lent follows that same pattern: a set-apart time of testing that leads to trust – not to prove ourselves, but to learn reliance on God.
Ash Wednesday: What it is
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Many churches observe it with a service of Scripture, prayer, confession, and the imposition of ashes – ashes placed on the forehead (often in the shape of a cross). Usually, the Ash Wednesday ashes are created by burning palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration.
As the ashes are given, words like these are commonly spoken:
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)
or “Repent, and believe the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)
The ashes are not a badge. They are a reminder – visible and personal – that life is fragile, sin is serious, and God’s mercy is real. And because they are often marked as a cross, they also declare this: our hope is not in our effort, but in Christ.
Where does the idea of Ash Wednesday come from?
Ash Wednesday grows out of Scripture and the historic Christian practice of beginning Lent with a focus on repentance. In the Bible, ashes are often associated with humility and repentance – an outward expression of an inward turning back to God. Over time, Christians in the Western church began using ashes at the start of the Lenten fast as a shared sign that we are seeking God’s mercy and renewal together. By the end of the 10th century, receiving ashes at the beginning of Lent had become customary in much of Western Europe, and in 1091 the practice was ordered to be practiced throughout the Catholic Church.
Scriptures connected to ashes and dust
Ashes are used on Ash Wednesday because Scripture repeatedly links dust and ashes with our creation, our mortality, and a humble turning back to God.
• Genesis 2:7 – God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life.
• Genesis 3:19 – We return to dust, reminding us that life is a gift and our days are limited.
• Job 42:6 – Job responds in repentance “in dust and ashes.”
• Daniel 9:3 – Daniel seeks God with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
• Jonah 3:6 – Nineveh turns in repentance, and the king sits in ashes.
Why Ash Wednesday matters
Ash Wednesday matters because it starts Lent the right way – with honest surrender:
• It interrupts our routines. It slows us down and asks: Where am I with God? Where have I drifted away from God’s will?
• It focuses on repentance. Ash Wednesday brings confession forward – so healing can begin.
• It reminds us of what we are (and what we are not). We are not self-sufficient. We are not permanent. We are not our own savior.
• It anchors us in the Gospel. The cross-shaped ashes remind us that we return to God.
• It points us toward Easter. When we face our need honestly, we’re ready to celebrate resurrection joy more deeply.
What Lent teaches us
Lent is not meant to be sad or gloomy – it is meant to be transforming. It teaches us:
• Life is short, so priorities matter.
• Sin is real, but grace is greater.
• Repentance is a turning, not just a feeling.
• The cross leads to resurrection.
As Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, we are invited into a meaningful journey: from honest reflection to renewed faith, from repentance to restoration, and from the shadow of the cross to the celebration of Easter morning – Christ is risen.
-Charles G.