Our Ash Wednesday Experience

As I mentioned in a previous post, this year will be our first time observing Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent. Last night, we attended church at 6:30 and the gathering began with a short time of worship. Pastor Kevin gave a short message about what Ash Wednesday is, what Lent is, and why we as a “Protestant Christian” church are observing these times. One of the things that he said was that our little church was aligning our “rhythms” with those of the greater Church, the body of Christ. I liked the idea of that… That although we may not be the same denomination, have the same theological views, etc., we can all come together in this season in preparation for Resurrection Sunday.

One of the things I love about Flipside is that I’m provided with “resources” and unconventional ways of interacting with my God. Last night was a perfect example. The chairs in the sanctuary were situated towards the middle of the room and “stations” were located around the perimeter. These stations included a Prayer Tent (which is always there anyway), Confession Booths, an area for Communion, the Lenten Tree, and an area where the Pastors stood with ashes.

After the worship, soft music played and we were encouraged to prepare our hearts for the upcoming season by interacting with the Lord in whichever ways we chose.

The Prayer Tent was a place to just breathe. In it, the carpeted floor is scattered with large pillows, candles dimly light the tent, and it’s a great place to just sit and spend time with God.

The Confession Booths were something that were only set up for Ash Wednesday. Each booth served as an outlet for us to “get right with God.” Based on 1 John 1:8-10, these booths were not about judgment rather, they served as an opportunity to start with a clean slate. Sitting in the booth, we asked God to search our hearts and make known what He wanted us to confess. The booth had a mirror on the wall and we were able to write our sins on the mirror, thinking about how we were going to repent and turn away from those sins. Then we used a cloth to wipe the mirror clean, knowing that our sins have been forgiven.

As with all Sundays, Communion was available near the cross. Most people partook of the sacraments and kneeled or prayed together.

Our Lenten Tree will remain in the sanctuary though Easter. The question posed was this: What is it that draws your attention away from Jesus and onto things of this world? As a church, we’re committing to give something up in order to pursue a greater intimacy with the Lord. At the Lenten Tree, we were given faux leaves on which we wrote the thing (or things) we would be fasting from during Lent. The leaves were all attached to the tree and it will serve as a reminder that we are not doing this alone and our church is coming together for a specific purpose.

Finally, the Pastors were available to mark us with ashes. Daniel 9:3 says “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” As we received the cross of ashes on our foreheads (or hands, if preferred), it symbolized our submission to the Lord in prayer and petition for the Lenten season. It was a time to remember the suffering Christ endured so that we could approach the Throne of Grace with confidence.

It was a very intense and powerful evening for me. I was pleasantly surprised by how meaningful it was to interact with God in a new way. I went to the service planning on fasting from certain things but felt the Lord urging me to make a different sacrifice. I feel that this year, Easter will have a more spiritual focus for me. And that’s a good thing. :)