Ash Wednesday is the Christian observance that begins the 40 day Season of Lent. Ashes are marked on worshippers as a sign of penitence, and the Pastor/Priest/Officiant who marks the ashes on the forehead often invokes the words from Genesis 3:19, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Ash Wednesday used to get more recognition in our society, but lately it is either overshadowed, replaced, or disregarded, even among professing Christians. The celebratory observances of Palm Sunday and Easter become the focus, and the piety and penitance is left for Good Friday, rather than commemorated on Ash Wednesday.
I went to Catholic school as a child, so the beginning of the Lenten Season was impressed deeply into my consciousness and spirit--and I'm glad it was. Even after grammar school, whenever I could, I would seek out a church that observed Ash Wednesday so that I could receive the imposition of the ashes, and set myself on the path of following Christ to Calvary. Sometimes I would observe through fasting, or denial of something important; other times I simply set my focus on hallowing the time by fixing my eyes on Jesus and his sacrifice, and reading the Gospel passages that detail Christ's journey and suffering.
This Season was particularly important after my sister died. The reflections on Christ, his walk, and his sufferings helped me to comprehend and process my own grief. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, "sorrow has a refining influence on us." The ashes, significant of death, represent a burning and refining of our souls. The Via De La Rosa--The Way of Suffering that Jesus traversed on his way to the Cross is the focal point of our observation and reflection. I believe we would approach Easter in a much different light if each Christian started their focus with Ash Wednesday.
Are you looking to attend an Ash Wednesday service here in Los Angeles? If so, below is a brief listing of local Los Angeles congregations that will be observing Ash Wednesday, and even a few that will have weekly Lenten points of worship to mark the 40 days leading up to Easter.
The Congregational Church of Northridge, 9659 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91325. 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
St. Paul First Lutheran Church, 5244 Tujunga Avenue, North Hollywood, CA 91601
1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
1:15 p.m.-2:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
St. Paul First Lutheran is the church where I observed Ash Wednesday and the weeks leading up to Easter after my sister's death. They are one of the few congregations that do a weekly Lenten observance on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. This includes a Maundy Thursday (April 5) observance.
Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church, 10158 Johanna Avenue (at Sunland Boulevard), Sunland, CA 91040. 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1350 W. 25th Street, San Pedro, CA 90732. 7:15 p.m.-7:45 p.m.
Good Shepherd will have regular Lenten observances on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. through March 28, 2012.
Hollywood Lutheran Church, 1733 N. New Hampshire Avenue (in Los Feliz), Los Angeles, CA 90027. 7:00 pm.
Hollywood Lutheran has an entire calendar or observances for the Lenten weeks. For more information, visit their website.
The Hollywood Adventist Church, 1711 N. Van Ness Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028, 7:30 p.m.
The Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The Cathedral is offering a series of Ash Wednesday services at 6:15 a.m., 7:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 3:00 p.m. (bilingual service), 5:15 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. (Spanish only)
The Cathedral will also observe weekly Lenten Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 12:10 p.m., and Stations of the Cross every Friday at 11:30 a.m.
You are welcome to email me if your congregation offers a special Lenten calendar or weekly observances, and I will include them on this page.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez was the officiant at the noon service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. He exorted in his Lenten message that Lent "is all about reconciliation with God and his church and deeper conversion to Christ and his gospel. Lent is the season of renewal, the springtime of the spirit."
Begin your renewal today, and have a blessed Ash Wednesday.
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