Join us February 18th at 12 noon or 7pm for our yearly observance of Ash Wednesday. We will gather in the Redeemer Sanctuary for a time of reflection, worship, Holy Communion and the imposition of the ashes.
Ash Wednesday — A Day to Remember What Matters
On Wednesday, February 18th, you may notice some of your neighbors walking around Midtown with a smudge of ash on their foreheads. It’s not a smudge they forgot to wipe off — it’s an ancient Christian tradition called Ash Wednesday, and it marks the beginning of a season called Lent.
Ash Wednesday is one of the most honest days on the church calendar. No fanfare, no celebration — just a quiet, grounding reminder that we are dust, and to dust we shall return. In a culture that’s constantly telling us to optimize, perform, and hustle, Ash Wednesday is a day to stop and admit that we’re finite. We’re not in control of everything. And that’s okay.
In the Lutheran tradition especially, this day carries a deep sense of grace alongside the gravity. The ashes remind us of our need — for mercy, for forgiveness, for something bigger than ourselves. And then the gospel answers that need with an almost scandalous generosity: You are loved not because of what you’ve achieved, but simply because God says so.Luther called this being “simultaneously sinner and saint” — held together in the same breath, the same smudge of ash.
Lent, the forty-day season that follows, is an invitation to slow down — to fast, to pray, to serve. Not to earn anything, but to make space. Space to listen, to be honest, to receive.
Whether you’re a person of faith or not, maybe there’s something in that worth sitting with. If you’re curious, you’re always welcome to join us.
