Ash Wednesday Services
New Grace Church will honor the beginning of Lent with Ash Wednesday services on February 17th. Services will be held at 7 AM, 12:00 noon, and 6:30 PM.
Lent is observed for the 40 days before Easter and is a time of self-examination, asking for forgiveness and transformation. Originally the first day of Lent was when public penitents in Rome began their penance. They wore sackcloth, were sprinkled with ashes and were required to stay apart from their community until Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter).
Today, Ash Wednesday is a day of penance and reflection for the entire congregation. Ashes are placed on the foreheads of willing congregants in the sign of a cross as the words are spoken, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The somber tone of the service includes a dimly lit chapel and the Litany of Penitence. Ash Wednesday reminds us of our creation, our mortality, and the gift of eternal life we have through Jesus Christ.
We hope you will join us at an Ash Wednesday service and for the observance of the Lenten season, as we prepare for the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior.
