Ash Wednesday

Some Lutherans are hesitant to participate in the ceremonies of Ash Wednesday because, as is often said, “it’s too Catholic.” But when the Reformers purified the church 500 hundred years ago, they did not throw out any traditions because they were “too Catholic.” In fact, the Reformers claimed to be to be the true catholic church. Their cleansing of the church was not based on whether a practice appeared to be catholic or not. Instead, they evaluated each tradition by whether it helped or hindered the proclamation of the Gospel. Praying to the saints and purchasing indulgences were clearly contrary to the message of salvation. Such traditions were detrimental to the faith and had no place within the true, purified catholic church. But many other traditions were deemed helpful: kneeling to receive Holy Communion, making the sign of the cross, bowing during the Creed at the words “and was made man”. All these, and many other practices common to all believers, were retained because they help us to teach and confess the faith.

The Imposition of Ashes is one such beneficial practice. It is not a Roman tradition. It is a catholic practice, that is, it belongs to the one, holy Church of Christ. Here, in the purified catholic church, which we are—or the Lutheran church, as we are more often called—the Imposition of Ashes has been retained. Why? Because it is a beautiful confession of the story of salvation from beginning to end.

When Adam and Eve fell into sin, God said to Adam, “Thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return” (Gen 3:19) This is the wages of sin—you shall die—and we must hear this awful truth as the first part of the message of salvation. But it’s easy to forget about death—or at least, to try to pretend it doesn’t exist. After all, we have modern medicine. We have heart transplants, dialysis machines, and miracle drugs. And we have morticians to whisk away our dead so we don’t have to confront the truth of our own fate. But if we avoid looking at death, we will not discover our need for a Savior.

This is why, on Ash Wednesday, the pastor looks at each one of his beloved members and says in effect, “You shall die. And you shall die.” And even to the newborn baby, “You too shall die.” It is necessary in our overly sanitized world for us to be reminded of this ugly truth as the dust to which we shall return is imposed upon our heads. No, all is not well, even within our middle-class America lives of comfort and plenteousness. You bear on your forehead the mark of your sin, and the sign of God’s just condemnation. Do not forget this. Remember, O man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return.

This recognition is the beginning of true faith. It is where the story of salvation begins. We stand, fruit in hand, at the foot of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but this is not the end. No. Christ is the end. The ashes are imposed with the sign of His cross. At the foot of this rugged tree, which paradoxically we can call the Tree of Life, is the end and goal of the message of salvation. Yes, you are a sinner, this is true. But all your sin was taken up by Christ and carried to his cross. You bear His sign on your forehead. No sin has ever been committed that was not paid for here at this cross. What adorns your forehead is the emblem of God’s forgiveness. You are marked as God’s own child, stained with the blood of His Son, sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Yes, the ashes tell you that you shall die. But the cross on your forehead marks you as one who will be raised. Wear it boldly without shame as a beloved member of the one, holy catholic and apostolic church. By this cross our Lord Jesus conquered death. Therefore, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also shall walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4) You will die, but what of it! You are baptized into Christ. This means that you have his promise: “He that believes in me, even though he dies, yet shall he live. For I will raise him up at the Last Day” (Jn 11:25; 6:40). Amen.