When an elementary school student walked into class on Wednesday, he was shocked when his teacher told him to wipe his Ash Wednesday cross off of his forehead.
When an elementary school student walked into class on Wednesday, he was shocked when his teacher told him to wipe his Ash Wednesday cross off of his forehead.
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the forty-day period in the church calendar known as Lent, a time of preparation leading up to Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday.
Isn’t it odd that today is both Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday? If you ask me, it’s a clear case of divine providence.
Chances are you’ll see a bunch of folks walking around with shmutz on their foreheads this Wednesday (Feb. 14). What does having a dirty forehead have to do with being a Christian and why this ritual is gaining in popularity? What is the significance behind Ash Wednesday and why do Christians still attend Ash Wednesday services? Even if you attend one at your church you may not know the history behind it.
Well, here is what you need to know:
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Some people, however, are too busy to attend a church service today, and for these people, Church of England clergy have a solution.
For nearly 1,500 years, Christians have observed Ash Wednesday with the smear of ashes in the shape of a cross on their foreheads, a biblical sign of repentance.
Ash Wednesday somberly reminds us that we’re all going to die. But it also reminds us of something much more important.
Some churches will be offering glitter mixed in with ashes for their Ash Wednesday services this year, as a way to welcome members of the LGBT community.
For centuries during Lent, Christians have sought to grow closer to God through praying, fasting and giving to the poor.
Is it all about us, or about Jesus and Him crucified? Today, we enter what may be the most counter-cultural season of the church calendar. More on Lent, next on BreakPoint.
