Beauty for Ashes

A Lenten Devotional |Listen to the Audio Version

Today's Bible Verse
"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me . . . to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair . . ." Isaiah 61:1-3. 

Devotional
When I was in my early twenties, I remember seeing an elegantly dressed woman with ashes on her forehead. Since I didn't grow up in a liturgical kind of church, I was unaware of the observance of Ash Wednesday and almost said, "Hey, you've got something on your face!" Thankfully, I didn't. However, I soon found out why that smudge was on her forehead.

As I grew in my knowledge of Scripture, I discovered that placing ashes on one's head symbolized repentance and was an ancient Old Testament practice. But why use ashes? The ashes* were the residue from burnt animal offerings, a reminder of death—substitutionary death—for one's sin, paid for by the shedding of blood from an innocent animal. Today, the ashes placed on foreheads are usually from burnt palm branches of the prior year's Palm Sunday.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the forty days leading up to Easter, not counting Sundays, they are considered "mini-Easters." Lent is a time of introspection; a time to consider anew our need of the Savior Jesus, and his call to repent and turn to him. Many Christians spend these forty days denying self—that is fasting from something they enjoy doing. By this, they are reminded of what Jesus did: he denied himself—he died on the cross as the innocent Lamb of God to pay the penalty for our sins. He then was raised to life to give all those who trust in him eternal life. 

Jesus knows that we are incapable of saving ourselves, which is why he came to earth—the Word became flesh and lived among us . . . but to all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God. John 1:12-14.

Prayer
Thank you for sacrificing your life for ours—for being our substitute death. Thank you that the ashes of our repentance can be exchanged for the beauty of pardon and new life in your resurrection. Amen.

Copyright 2011 | 2023 S.A. Keith
SundaySchoolNetwork.com

Photography by: Ahna Ziegler @unsplash.com

*Today, the ashes used to mark foreheads are usually from burnt palm branches from the Palm Sunday of the previous year.

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