I must apologize for Ash Wednesday.

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree  of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19 ESV)

Most folks, in or out of church, assume that Ash Wednesday is a biblical practice; many Lutherans may assume that Ash Wednesday is a rite shared with the Roman Catholic Church since the Reformation; many non-Lutheran Protestants are under the assumption that Ash Wednesday and Lent are, as a pastor identifying himself as "a Christian first, then a Protestant, a Calvinist, a Reformed Presbyterian" wrote in his blog a year ago, "a tradition of men and condemned in Scripture." He goes on to say about those who participate: "Do they not realize that these holy days are not prescribed by God, but by fallen men? Do they not realize that their participation in Ash Wednesday and Lent strikes at the gospel itself?" (Yikes!)

This pastor, henceforth known as Pastor T., goes on to claim (my boldfacing and underscoring) that "All that we need for our salvation was accomplished on the Cross by Jesus Christ and His atoning work. By participating in Ash Wednesday and Lent, we are saying that His sacrifice was not enough. We are saying that somehow we must add to what He did on the Cross. We are demeaning His work by doing so." I'm still an unpaid amateur, yes, but I'd sure like to know where this pastor gets his information. Surely not from a Lutheran church!

So, Pastor T., I'd like to apologize to you, from one Protestant to another. The Reformation drew a clear line of demarcation around practices in the Roman Catholic Church that could not be proven scripturally sound, particularly where a person's salvation was concerned. Some, such as penance and indulgences, were deemed not just false, but even detrimental to an adherent's faith. Other practices were simply labelled as adiaphora (matters of indifference), which our Lutheran Confessions (not canon law) define as "ceremonies or church rites which are neither commanded nor forbidden in God's Word, but have been introduced into the Church for the sake of good order and propriety." Furthermore, the Confessions go on to explain (my boldfaceing and underlining): "For Scripture calls traditions doctrines of demons, when it is taught that religious rites are serviceable to merit the remission of sins and grace. For they are then obscuring the Gospel, the benefit of Christ, and the righteousness of faith. [For they are just as directly contrary to Christ and to the Gospel as are fire and water to one another.] The Gospel teaches that by faith we receive freely, for Christ's sake, the remission of sins and are reconciled to God."  (Pastor T., are we not on the same team here?)

A Lutheran pastor writes more about adiaphora in A More Definitive Definition of Adiaphora, posted a few years ago to intrepidlutherans.com.

So, Pastor T., we Lutherans are not trying to work out our salvation through man-made church practices and holy days. What Ash Wednesday and Lent are all about is spelled out quite nicely in this Ash Wednesday order of service published by the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's World Relief and Human Care organization:

Ash Wednesday is one of the most solemn days of the church year. This liturgy marks the beginning of a penitential discipline climaxing on Maundy Thursday. The mood is penitential and reflective on our baptismal faith and life. The organ is silent before and after worship. Worshipers are asked to keep reverent silence before the service and leave the service in silence. There will be no greeting at the door by the pastor. Originally, Lent was the time when candidates for Holy Baptism were intently preparing to be baptized at the Vigil of Easter. We, too, in this season of Lent prepare ourselves to remember our Baptism at Easter as we ritually “pass over” with Jesus from death to new life. During this Lenten season will remember Jesus’ Baptism, His anointing with the Holy Spirit, and His words in Luke 4 – that He was anointed to show, and to be, mercy. As His people – hearing Him proclaim God’s Word and being God’s Word as Prophet; seeing Him sacrifice Himself on a cross and know that He intercedes for us as Priest; and knowing that we live under Him as King in righteousness and purity – we will be reminded of our work of mercy. 

Today, worshipers will have the opportunity to receive ashes on their foreheads as a sign of penitence and baptismal remembrance. The ashes are prepared by burning palm branches from last Palm Sunday. In a dramatic way, their use suggests God’s judgment and condemnation of sin, our frailty and total dependence on God, and humiliation and repentance. The words spoken as ashes are imposing, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” were first spoken to Adam after his fall into sin. We are forcefully reminded of the words of the committal in the Christian Burial service, “... earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” Ashes also suggest cleansing and renewal. They were once used as a cleaning agent. Thus, ashes imposed in the shape of a cross symbolize both judgment and baptismal cleansing.

Ash Wednesday is a great way to begin the Lent Season, which for me is a period of reflection, introspection, and spiritual calibration leading up to Good Friday, the very somber and meaningful service on which is also adiaphora, Pastor T., but helps to color the power and majesty of Easter Sunday in a way that should be experienced by every Christian.

I know this is a lot, but I felt I owe you-- and any others who would label me (a Christian first, then a Lutheran) as someone who "profanes the Gospel"-- a HUGE apology, brother.