A shock to see "Christmas" in the title of my last entry. And here we are at Ash Wednesday.
The meaning of the ashes is not entirely clear. We know that ashes were used in most ancient religions. To acknowledge their sin, someone might say, "I am nothing but dust and ashes." On our own we really are nothing. God is everything. All that we are and have and do is God's doing.
In Isaiah 26:12 we pray, "Our peace is your gift, Lord, our good deeds your work." Putting ashes on ourselves can help us reflect that we are nothing without God.
We are not left in ashes. The Messiah promises "to comfort all who mourn, and to give them instead of ashes a garland." (Isiah 61:3)
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