Ash Wednesday: A Moment to Pause and Begin Again
Ashes appear throughout the Old Testament, often as a sign of mourning, repentance, or a plea for God’s guidance.
They’re also a stark reminder of how temporary our earthly lives are — how fragile and fleeting.
In one of my favourite verses, the great Old Testament prophet Isaiah promises that God will:
‘provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning’ Isaiah 61:3, NRSV.
In the Old Testament, a garland was a sign of honour, joy, and restored dignity — a visible symbol that God had turned sorrow into flourishing.
Isaiah is saying that God doesn’t simply notice our grief; he intends to transform it.
For us today, this becomes the promise that Jesus takes what feels heavy, broken, or lifeless and replaces it with something full of beauty and hope.
And this is why Ash Wednesday matters.
It invites us to stand honestly in the ashes — the places of our limits, our losses, and our longing — while trusting that God is already at work shaping something new.
So the simple cross traced on the forehead on Ash Wednesday, is not just a reminder of our mortality, but a quiet assurance that the story doesn’t end in dust.
It begins there, and then moves toward resurrection, renewal, and the garland God is preparing for us.
What does Lent Mean?
The word Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning to lengthen and refers to the lengthening days of spring in the Western hemisphere.
The forty days of Lent represent the forty days Jesus spent in the desert being tempted by the devil.
In the early church, this was a time for new converts to fast, pray, and reflect before their baptism at Easter.
It gradually evolved into something all Christians were encouraged to do before Easter.
Lent lasts forty days (not counting Sundays), starting on Ash Wednesday and ending on the last Saturday (Holy Saturday) before Easter Day.
It is a time for practising self-discipline in a chosen area, reflecting on Christ’s death and resurrection and what that means to us today.
The mood is lightened somewhat by Mothering Sunday, which in the UK falls halfway between Ash Wednesday and Easter Day.
Reflecting on Ash Wednesday and Lent
When someone we love dies, we naturally reflect on their life and grieve their absence.
Ash Wednesday invites a similar kind of reflection — not about someone else, but about the places in our own lives where we feel lost or disconnected.
Maybe there’s a relationship that needs healing. Maybe Scripture has taken a back seat. Maybe prayer has grown quiet.
Whatever it looks like, we all have moments where something gets between us and God, or between us and one another.
Ash Wednesday gives us space to acknowledge that honestly. It reminds us that life is fragile, time is precious, and God is near.
Lent then becomes the journey that follows — a season to draw closer to Jesus, to pay attention again, and to make small, intentional choices that help us grow.
It’s a bit like making New Year’s resolutions, only these are more like holy resolutions — rooted not in self‑improvement, but in grace.
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