The older structure of the rite that placed the imposition of ashes before the readings enables the ritual to unfold in an action-reflection mode that gives the preacher powerful grounds upon which to call for repentance and to ground the keeping of Lent in a deep ritual moment.

Rearrange the Worship ElementsĪlexander explains that the traditional structure for Ash Wednesday began with a call to a holy Lent, continued with the imposition of ashes, and then moved into the readings and preaching. The next two tweaks will also help with this quandary. Should you choose to go with Luke 18 on Ash Wednesday, you also avoid the odd tension of receiving the visible mark of ashes within minutes of hearing Jesus tell us not to make our disciplines visible. Yet Alexander, a theological school dean and former Episcopal bishop, sees it as a potential coincidence and voices his hope that future revisions will at the very least restore Luke 18 as an option for the beginning of Lent. There is likely some good reason for why the lectionary change was not made and for why that setup has been maintained. Luke 18, in which Jesus contrasts the prideful prayer of a Pharisee with the repentant prayer of a tax collector, is a perfect passage demonstrating the spirit of the season. Matthew 6, which has Jesus instructing his disciples on how to pray and practice disciplines correctly, is a perfect passage to prepare us for how to practice Lent. The Matthew 6 passage that had been on the Wednesday before Lent suddenly became the Gospel passage for the start of Lent.

However, no corresponding change was made to the lectionary. This resulted in the familiar 40-days-minus-Sundays formula that moved the first fast day to Ash Wednesday. Alexander notes that the Gospel text selected by the church for that day - the beginning of Lenten fasting - was Luke 18:10-14.Īt some point in the sixth century, the church moved to standardize Lent. Since fasting is generally not required on Sundays in Lent, the first fast day was the Monday after Quadragesima Sunday. Lent did not always start on Ash Wednesday, but instead began on Quadragesima Sunday, falling 40 days before Good Friday and 42 days before Easter Sunday. Neil Alexander’s Celebrating Liturgical Time: Days, Weeks, and Seasons for the content of this post, as he expounds upon the development of Ash Wednesday in this book. However, if you’re looking to change things up a bit this year, there are some interesting tweaks you can make that will stay true to the history and tradition of Ash Wednesday. Most traditions, including my own United Methodist Church, have a standard liturgy for a worship service on that day. There is now less than a month until Ash Wednesday.

Imposition of ashes formula