Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting which signifies the start of Lent. Church services are held where churchgoers receive ash on their foreheads. The wearing of ashes is seen as a sign of repentance. The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday service.
Psalms for Ash Wednesday
Psalm 50: ‘The Mighty One Calls’ ‘All go to the same place;
Psalm 51: ‘A Psalm of David’ all come from dust,
Psalm 58: ‘God Judges the Earth’ and to dust all return’.
Readings for Ash Wednesday Ecclesiastes 3: 20
Joel 2: 1-2, 12-17 Isaiah 58: 1-12
2 Corinthians 5: 20b-6, 10 Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21
Hymns and Worship Songs for Ash Wednesday
Alas Thou Didst My Saviour Bleed My Song is Love Unknown
Change My Heart, Oh God Again We keep this Solemn Fast
Love Divine, All Love Excelling O For a Heart to Praise My God
To Dust You Shall Return Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
Kum ba yah Take My Life and Let it Be
Will You Come and Follow Me All That I Am
Ash Wednesday Activity
Go on a walk with friends or family. Along the way find a stick and draw a cross in the earth. Make a Lenten paperchain. Each day during Lent remove a chain and do a small task for someone else in kindness and love. Light a candle as a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world. Plant a bulb or seed as a reminder that Jesus brings hope and joy.
Ash Wednesday Prayer
Merciful God, On this day of ashes and reflection, I come before You with a humble heart. Teach me to turn away from all which draws me from Your light, and to walk in the path of grace and truth. May the dust upon my forehead remind me that life is fragile, yet filled with Your promise. Renew my spirit, cleanse my heart, and guide me through this Lenten journey toward the hope of resurrection. Amen.
Ash Wednesday Facts
The date of Ash Wednesday varies and falls 46 days before Easter. The earliest date it can be is 4th February, and the latest is 10th March. Ash Wednesday marks the first day of fasting of the Lenten period. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday ‘Pancake Day’ when traditionally rich food is eaten prior to the abstinence of Lent. The Liturgical colour displayed in churches is purple, signifying the serious nature of Ash Wednesday. The key themes of Ash Wednesday are repentance, mortality and humility.