Ash Wednesday Worship, February 14th, 7:00pm

Ash Wednesday is one of the most solemn days of the Church Year. Ashes suggest in a dramatic way God's judgment and condemnation of sin, our frailty and total dependence on God. The words spoken as ashes are imposed, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return," were first spoken to Adam after his fall into sin.  We are forcefully reminded of the words of the committal in the Burial Service, "...earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."  But our God is eternally redemptive and so the ashes also suggest cleansing and renewal.  They were once used as a cleaning agent.  Thus, ashes imposed in the shape of a cross symbolize judgment, but also the cleansing and healing that God brings.