Reflections on Ash Wednesday

Last week we held our second annual Ash Wednesday service. As with the first year, it was met with some raised eyebrows and concerned looks. Now, it is true that we as Nazarenes have not historically been drawn to observe seasons like Lent or Advent.  We have been more prone to look at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost in terms of individual days and not seasons.  However, observing these seasons of Lent leading up to Easter and Advent leading up to Christmas helps us with a few things. First, it reminds us of our connection with the Church.  The Apostles Creed belongs to us, and we to it.  We believe in one catholic (universal) Church, and we are a part of that church.  Second, it gives us opportunity to remember the life of Jesus, and also to enter into that life. This is a time of remembrance and reflection - a time to take the journey toward the cross and empty tomb.

One of the beautiful things about Ash Wednesday is that it marks the embarking point for the journey of Lent. It is a time for us to gather together as a unified body of believers and remember well and prepare for the forty day journey ahead.

We employ a certain "liturgy" to our Ash Wednesday service. We utilize corporate confession, a litany of penitence, responsorial Psalm readings, the lectionary readings for the day, worship and prayer (with contemporary worship and hymns alike), and a homily. We receive the ashes on our forehead, reminding us that we are dust and to dust we shall return.  We read stories in scripture as to how our forefathers sat in sackcloth and ashes in humility and repentance before God, pleading for God to forgive their sins and to move on their behalf. We light candles and extinguish them as a part of our service and worship to God.

Some might say that it's all just a ritual-- but we did not want it to be that. We, as a pastoral staff and church leaders, began praying that it would be a time of self-examination, humbling, and petitioning for God to forgive and to move in powerful ways.  A broken and contrite heart God does not despise, for He promises to lift up the humble in due time. As He is ever faithful, God moved in a powerful way during the service. There was a special moment as we confessed corporately, "Search me, O God, and know my heart today"  and sang "Give us clean hands, give us pure hearts, let us not lift our souls to another"  - and the Holy Spirit was there. He moved in a tender way, and His people were renewed and refocused.

Ash Wednesday is a moment of corporate pause and a moment of corporate confession - bidding us to take this journey to Calvary, ever aware of what it means for us. Dust we are, and to dust we shall return ~ but thanks be to God for His lavish and abundant grace.

Randy Kinder is the Pastor of Worship Arts and Administration at Old Hickory Church of the Nazarene. Randy holds a BS in Church Music and a BS in Music Education, as well as an MA in Theology. Randy has served in various "genres" of worship music, and employs pieces from each of these into his "style" of worship. He and his wife, Kiersten, reside in Nashville, TN.