Why Ashes on Ash Wednesday? Ash Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the liturgical year. Quiet, solemn and reflective, we cast off our selfish pride and our attachments to material things to stand before God in the humility of repentance. The heart of the Christian faith is love, and the ability to receive God’s love and extend that to others begins in humility. Paul wisely tells us in Romans 12:3, For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. Ash Wednesday, which falls on February 14 this year, is the Wednesday of the seventh week before Easter and the first day of Lent. The day is named for the practice of imposing ashes, a practice that many Lutheran congregations have found to be a deeply meaningful part of the Ash Wednesday liturgy. Using ashes as a sign of repentance is an ancient pr...