Ash Wednesday

Many traditions that have been a part of the Christian church around the world and for hundreds of years have almost vanished from the American evangelical church.  At CEFC we are future-oriented, but we do not want to lose our connection to the past.  The marking of special days in the church calendar like the Sundays of Advent, Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost Sunday, and Trinity Sunday are a way for us to come back to the great themes of our faith on a regular basis.

Ash Wednesday is an ancient holy day in the Christian church calendar.  It marks the beginning of the season of Lent – a time of repentance, discipline and renewal.  In the Ash Wednesday service, we are reminded of our mortality, we confess our sins, and we experience forgiveness through Christ’s death and resurrection.

The ashes that are imposed on the foreheads of the congregation in the shape of a cross, are the burned palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration.  As the ashes are placed on our foreheads, we hear the words “from dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

Think of Ash Wednesday as a form of spiritual “spring cleaning” –a time to take thought of our lives, to repent of sin, and to prepare for the celebration of Easter.

We hope you’ll join us for a unique time of worship, prayer and reflection February 17th at 7:15 p.m. All of our Wednesday night activities will end at 7:10 p.m. to allow everyone to participate in the service.