Ashes, Sackcloth, and Penitence

“When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes and went through the city, wailing with a loud and bitter cry.” -- Esther 4:1

Mordecai learned, before this scripture, that King Xerxes, the King of the Persians, had made a decree that would bring to destruction all of the Jews in the Persian Empire. Long before Christians walked around with smudges of ash on their foreheads, the ancient peoples in the Levant would dress in sackcloth and bathe in ashes to express overwhelming grief and mourning. In the early Church, communities adapted this behavior for Lent as a means for egregious sinners to return to their congregations after being cast out. It was only after this practice ended and after the 8th century that Christians would retake ash as a symbolic act in preparation for Lent. 

Ash reminds us of the temporal nature of our lives, using the passage from Genesis: you were formed from dust to dust you will return. Ash reminds us that we cannot escape sin ourselves, that we are in need forgiveness through Christ. Ash reminds us of great grief and mourning because of the brokenness of this world, overwhelmed by oppression, violence, and hate. We wear ash on our foreheads for much of the same reasons we confess our sins: to proclaim that we need God, and rely on Grace. 

You are invited to come to UPC on Wednesday, February 22 at 6:00 pm where we together will prepare for Lent, lift up prayers, and participate in smudging ash on our foreheads. Easter is coming, let us prepare ourselves, being reminded of why we call ourselves Easter People.