It is traditional to save the palm branches from the previous Passion/Palm Sunday service and burn them ahead of time to produce the ashes for this service.įor each of the 40 days, I will be posting a black & white image of something from the everyday life of the day or the day before as a way to process the starkness of Lent as we prepare for the joy of Easter Sunday. This practice is the historic focus of Ash Wednesday observance and gave the day its name.

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.

Ash Wednesday emphasizes a dual encounter: we confront our own mortality and confess our sin before God within the community of faith.