The Ash Wednesday service is a quiet, meditative worship time that marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Nursery care for children is available.
About Lent:
1) Lent is the 40 days (not counting Sundays) before Easter. This 40 day season begins on Ash Wednesday and ends the Saturday before Easter.
2) “Lent” is not a specifically Christian word. It is an old English word for “springtime.”
3) Lent became important in the very early years of the Church. It is thought that the 40 days were meant to call to mind Jesus’ time in the desert.
4) Lent is usually observed as a time for reflection on the sacrifice of Christ. As such it is often associated with repentance, soul searching, reflection and re-dedication. Fasting and abstention are disciplines often used during Lent to bring to mind the sacrifice and love of Christ.
5) The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday) became the “last fling” before the solemnity of Lent. (The “last fling” is still around but “solemnity” seems to have been forgotten.) For centuries it was the custom to observe Lent by abstaining from meat. . Hence, in some countries the “last fling” became known as Carnival which means “farewell to meat.”
6) The sacrifice of Christ is often remembered in Lent through personal vows of abstinence or acts of sacrifice. It is also appropriate to add something, such as acts of service, devotional disciplines, etc., during Lent as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice .
