These two themes (death and sin) are brought together in light of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ. Secondly, all of us are sinners and need to confess our sin to God. On Ash Wednesday, the community of faith comes face to face with two realities. It is the sign of death and resurrection. Here the cross is the sign of salvation that all believers share. Here the young and ole, men and women, rich and poor, learned and simple. There can be no more solemn and appropriate action on this day than to distribute ashes to all who gather for the beginning of the Lenten season. In this simple gesture the person is claimed by Christ. The same ancient gesture appears in the baptismal liturgy: a cross is traced with oil on the forehead of the person being baptized. This day is something of a slap in the face, especially when one hears the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The original name – “Day of Ashes” – was a reference to the ancient Christian practice of sprinkling or rubbing ashes on the head or forehead as a sign of one’s mortality. The Ash Wednesday service at Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine will be on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. David Tinker, from an original article by Pr.
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