united methodist authorized imposition ashes

And this is not your own doing it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8). (“F or by grace you have been saved through faith. We are no longer bound to fulfill these laws: Jesus’ perfect life and final sacrifice taught us this, among other things. (“ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations they are my appointed feasts.’” Leviticus 23:1-2) In the books of the law, God gave detailed instructions to Moses for worship in the tabernacle and festivals, with specific rituals to mark each one. The concept of celebrating important days with memorable rituals on an annual basis came straight from the highest authority: God himself.

After we acknowledge the truth of our frailty and sinfulness, though, we can equally experience God’s true and real love for us and the amazing victory we celebrate at Easter. Samuel Johnson put it more succinctly: “ People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”Īsh Wednesday is a holy day where we remember two specific things: 1) our human frailty and 2) our need for public repentance before God. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,” 2 Peter 1:12-13).ĭr. Even the Apostle Paul recognized this (“ Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. In all parts of our spiritual lives, however, reminders are important.

This is nothing new we know that we are sinful creatures, and we have been taught the importance of repentance. The Imposition of Ashes was started as an opportunity for us to remember our sinfulness and need for repentance. To answer these questions, we must understand what is at the core of this custom. We can and should ask ourselves, why do we do this? What does this custom mean? And pertinent to the current situation, how can we do it this year, considering the concerns with COVID-19? We listen as he recites the words “ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” (from Genesis 3) over us. You know what it’s all about: during the service we line up in the aisle and wait for the pastor to draw the sign of the cross, in ashes, on our foreheads or hands. Specifically, as we at COS look forward to Ash Wednesday, we looked at the practice of the Imposition of Ashes.

The pandemic has made us question things we previously took for granted and forced us to take a closer look at everything we do. Year after year, we see the dates marked for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and we might even have traditions for celebrating Fat Tuesday.

United methodist authorized imposition ashes