Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins today on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. “Lent” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, which means “spring”. The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians.

 

Worship observances of Ash Wednesday emphasize a dual encounter: we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith. The form and content of this service focuses on the dual themes of sin and death in the light of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ. The use of ashes as a sign of mortality and repentance has a long history in Jewish and Christian worship, and the Imposition of Ashes can be a powerful nonverbal and experiential way of participating in the call to repentance and reconciliation. This practice is the historic focus of Ash Wednesday observances and gave the day its name.

 

May God in Jesus Christ richly bless your observance of this Holy Lenten Season that you may experience His saving grace fully and completely.

 

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Rev. Candace