The green linens that drape the Confession table have been replaced with purple. The handmade wooden crosses have been brought from storage and swathed in silken sashes. The last indulgences have been indulged, the last fetes feted.
And so begins Ash Wednesday, observed today in many churches across the Golden Triangle and around the world.
Rev. Ted Bane, of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Columbus, spent much of Tuesday preparing for tonight’s “Imposition of Ashes,” when worshippers will gather and Bane will trace an ashen cross upon their foreheads, speaking the ancient words: “Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.”
Predominantly associated with Catholics, Ash Wednesday has increased in popularity with Protestant and evangelical denominations, marking a somber beginning to the Lenten season, which will end on Easter Sunday, April 8.
Traditionally, it is a time of prayer, repentance and reflection. But though the theological roots remain fairly consistent across denominations, private observance is as disparate as the worshippers themselves.
Sacrifice, reflection, simplification
For some, it is also a time to put away the things that bind, from favorite foods to Facebook. The catch? It can’t be something you don’t like, Bane said. It should be something that will be difficult.
Brussels sprouts? Not so popular on Lenten lists. Chocolate? A perennial favorite.
It is a decluttering of the spirit — a way to create space for a closer, deeper relationship with God, said Father Robert Dore, of Annunciation Catholic Church in downtown Columbus.
“Every Ash Wednesday, I read the same reading,” he said. “It lines out the three things that are important: prayer, fasting and almsgiving — the three prongs of the Lenten season. … God tells us in the Old Testament and the New that he doesn’t necessarily want our sacrifices. What he wants is for us to be merciful with each other. It’s not so much the exterior as it is the interior conversion.”
It’s taking time to remember what’s essential, said Carol Mead, Episcopal chaplain at Mississippi State University and the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Starkville. It taps into the essence of what it means to be a Christian.
The ashes serve as a tangible reminder of man’s mortality, Bane said. In every sermon he delivers, he tries to leave his congregation with a question to ponder. During Lent, he drives this message deeper.
“I hit on this every week,” he said. “I think we should always be in self-examination as to what we believe and our relationship with God.”
Ashes to ashes
The reminder of one’s mortality isn’t meant to be depressing or sad, Mead said. Rather, it’s a way to remember that nothing in life can last for eternity.
“Christians are already aware of the Resurrection,” she said. ” … We know how the story ends, and it’s a joyful ending.”
Lent doesn’t have to be observed solely by Christians, Mead said. Even non-believers can embrace the basic framework of the season by simplifying their lives and making time for meditation, reflection and rejuvenation.
She believes people crave depth and peace, even if they draw spiritual nourishment from nature, music or literature more than Sunday services.
“In our culture and our time, our lives are very complicated,” she said. “We constantly have to have the switch on because of technology.”
Her suggestion? Disconnect. Break the tether to technology, whether that means switching the cell phone off for a few hours or simply resolving to ignore the siren call of text messages and emails for short time periods.
For her, like Dore, it’s a way of clearing inner space and reminding herself of her spiritual center and her core values as a Christian. In silencing the noise of the world, she is better able to feel God’s presence.
But she said everyone can benefit from engaging in activities that inspire them and encourage meditation.
“The key in Lent is the intentional dimension,” she said. “To create time every day to look for something that’s deeper. That may be something that fits in a religious framework or it may not be. It may just be something that brings peace to your soul. … If people did that intentionally and regularly, I think they would find it really restores them.”
Roots and tradition
For Donna Wade, 66, the next 40 days will be a time to worship in the church in which she was baptized, the church in which she was married, the church which four generations of her family still attend.
First Cumberland Presbyterian, founded in 1832, has a longstanding tradition in the community, originally occupying a corner downtown before eventually building at its present location on Ridge Road.
Group photographs of church members line the walls of the narrow hallway, bidding homage to changing fashions and enduring faith.
Wade sewed the purple sashes her husband, Sam Wade, draped on the crosses Tuesday. Together, she and he made those crosses, cutting the wood and staining it to a deep luster.
She remembers her childhood with her siblings; she remembers the Easter hats and gloves.
“On Sunday, we dressed up and thought we were uptown,” she said, laughing.
This church is all she has ever known. She draws comfort in the continuity and unchanging tradition.
“I love my church,” she said. “I want to die being a member of this church.”
Tonight, at 6 p.m., she will stand in the sanctuary, eyes closed as Bane traces the sign of the cross on her forehead.
And from Columbus to Starkville to West Point to Washington, many across the nation will do the same.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.