Slideshow image
Save to your Calendar

ASH WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, 7PM

Ash Wednesday is the first day of the season of Lent. This year Ash Wednesday is on February 18th. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of preparation for the understanding of the death and resurrection of Christ. We will hold a service at 7 pm. During the service we are reminded of our mortality. We also will have ashes placed on our foreheads or hands. In the Bible, sprinkling oneself with ashes was traditionally a sign of one's sorrow for having committed sins. The particular symbolism of ashes for this day comes from a practice in the Roman Catholic churches in which the ashes from the palms used in the preceding year's Palm Sunday celebration are burned and blessed. With these ashes, the priest on the first day of Lent marks a cross on the forehead of each worshiper. This practice has become a part of Ash Wednesday services in many United Methodist churches. Here at Morgan Hill UMC our ashes are not from our palms, but they still hold significance for us as we begin the season of reflection and self-examination.