By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
For as long as I can remember I would ask why, on a certain Wednesday, many people would be walking around with dirt on their heads! Remember, I was raised in a Greek Catholic church-that was not our tradition on the first day of Lent. As I got older it became common place for me to observe this on a certain day, but, I was never able to ascertain why people did this.
‘Ash Wednesday’ is tomorrow, and it does have a significance that you may be interested in, especially if you were not privy to the tradition growing up. After some research, here is what I learned;
Ash Wednesday begins Lent. Christians around the world will go to church today to receive ashes on their forehead in the shape of a cross from the priest. The ashes are actually the burned palms from the year before when they were waved on Palm Sunday. Usually the priest will apply the ashes to a persons forehead and pronounce ‘from dust you came and to dust you will return’, the verse above from Genesis.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, Christians will give up something they don’t want to live without. It is a sacrifice representative of the great sacrifice Jesus made for us. It is also a great time to reflect on your life, your choices, and behaviors that should be removed from you life. All these things are reminders for us of the One who laid down His life for us.
Lent is a period of 46 days, but it represents the 40 days that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. Six Sunday’s are in there making it 46 days.
When I finally learned what Ash Wednesday and Lent meant to my Christian walk, it made all the difference in the way I treated that span of 46 days we call ‘Lent’. I did observe Lent in the Greek church, but I never really understood why. Think about this;
Our Savior spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness being tempted by satin-for us. He withstood the opportunities to concede to satan’s evil schemes and receive the bread and water He craved. But He remembered His promise to His Father. He withstood the hunger and thirst, the taunting and jeering from satan. But He remembered He is God’s son. He was in the hot sun by day and the bitter cold by night with nothing for comfort. But He remembered us! He knows we are dust, ash. We are frail, we needed a Savior. He conquered the 40 days and nights remembering the commitment He made.
When I think now about ‘fasting for Lent’, it seems to be a small thing to choose one item I will live without for 46 days. ONE! Jesus had the entire world at His fingertips just by asking for it. He denied Himself so we might one day live with Him in Heaven. When I think about ‘fasting for lent’ when I was a teen, it was not a very spiritual event. It was kind of a dare to see who could last that long without chocolate, coffee, or chips. We need the attitude and heart of our Lord to be able to receive as much as we put into Lent. If we will deny ourselves, and take up the cross of Jesus, I believe we can have a spiritual renewal in these next 46 days.
Now when I look at people with ash on their heads, I wonder if they know the huge significance of the humility it took for Christ to lay down His Kingly heritage and take up the cross for us. Do we ever think about how it would be to live with no food or water for 46 days? Yet, that, and so much more is the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. He loves us so much. I would like to challenge you today. This is not in a legalistic way, but in a spiritual devotion way. Choose something to ‘give up’ for Lent. Make it a significant sacrifice, and make it a serious gesture of solidarity with Jesus. Allow Him to permeate your spirit during these days of sacrifice. I believe we will be filled with a new appreciation for what Jesus did on that cross for us, and how we can lay down our lives for Him!
Hey, let me know if you take up the challenge.
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