Seeking to Live Repentance for my Sin, and to Live Hope Because of Jesus!

Ash Wednesday falls on March 5 this year, the year of 2025 A.D. Ash Wednesday begins a season of repentance, a season which also prepares God’s people to celebrate the joy of Easter. Ash Wednesday is an opportunity for Children of God to reset their priorities. Ash Wednesday allows us to live in the truth of our sin, and in the greater truth of God’s grace and love.

But some may ask, “Ashes? Really? Why put ashes on your forehead?” A mark of ashes is intended to be an outward sign of inward repentance for our sin. But this is not just a modern liturgical symbol of western Christians. The idea of ashes has a long Biblical history and tradition. If you study your Bible you will find Abraham (Genesis 18:27), Mordecai (Esther 4:1 and 3), Job (Job 42:4-6), Isaiah (Isaiah 58:5), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 6:26). Daniel (Daniel 9:3), and even Jesus (Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13) speak about ashes as a sign of sorrow, and as an outward sharing of heart-felt repentance for sin.

We have good reason for repentant hearts. Romans 3 reminds us that we have all offended the Creator and Lord of all with our hard hearts and rebellious actions. “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. . . .” (Romans 3:23-25) So, the mark of ashes shows sorrow that we have disobeyed the one who created us and loves us. Ashes on our foreheads indicates sorrow that we are unable to make our lives perfect. Ashes show the sorrow in our hearts that we face death because of our sin. A cross of ashes tells the world that we cannot trust our own righteousness, but that we trust the forgiveness God gives by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

The cross of ashes not only expresses sorrow for our sin, but also reminds us of our hope in Jesus. We are told that Jesus began his ministry with such a call to God’s people. “14 . . . Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’" (Mark 1:14b-15) How do God’s children respond to the presence of Jesus and respond to the kingdom of God? We “repent and believe.”

Actually, Christians repent, we do admit and turn from our sins, but WE DO NOT LOSE HOPE! We turn from our sin and we turn to God in trust and faith, because of Jesus. In 1 Peter 5 we are encouraged, “6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7) So, that is the message of Lent. Sinful, failed people confess our transgressions to God, and we turn to Him, casting all our cares on Him because He cares for us . . . in Jesus!

I have recently been reading a Christian news source called “Pour Over.” On Ash Wednesday the ‘Quote of the Day’ was from famed New Testament Scholar N. T. Wright. “Lent is a time for discipline, for confession, for honesty, not because God is mean or fault-finding or finger-pointing, but because He wants us to know the joy of being cleaned out, ready for all the good things He now has in store.”

In other words, Ash Wednesday helps us face our lives and face our eternity honestly. We admit our sin and our lost-ness. But, we look forward to the cleansing from our sin by Jesus. We admit that we “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We hope because, by faith, we ” 24 . . . are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

How will you observe Ash Wednesday? How will you live your faith this Lent? As I grow as a child of God, I find the cross of ashes calls me to sorrow for my sin, but also calls me to hope because of God’s saving love in Jesus!