Ash Wednesday 2021

On Wednesday 17 February, we mark the start of the season of Lent, with two online Ash Wednesday services.

Ash Wednesday provides a marker in the ground; a moment to ‘remember that we are dust’ and choose to turn back to God. As we dirty our foreheads with ash, we invite God to cleanse us on the inside, receiving forgiveness and re-committing to follow the way of Jesus.

We’ll have a family service at 4-4.30pm, which will be especially suitable for pre- and primary school aged children. Please email Steve for the link.

And we’ll have a service more for grown ups at 8-8.45pm. Please email Alexandra for the link.

Both services will be on Zoom, and if you’re on our mailing list you’ll automatically be sent the details.

In preparation: a simple way of making something that roughly resembles ash at home, is simply by burning a match and (gently!) using that, once it has extinguished and cooled, to ‘draw’ a cross on the forehead. You’ll need a match per person. We’ll invite everyone to have an ash cross on their forehead during the course of each service.

A more involved way of making ash, relies on you having a palm cross in the house from a previous Palm Sunday service. These can be gently grilled until they are black - keep an eye on them! - and then ground down in a pestle and mortar, until they are a fine dust.