PARKER, Colo. — The season of Lent begins Wednesday for many Christian denominations.
The 40-day period that begins with Ash Wednesday leads up to Holy Week, some of the most sacred days in the church calendar – including Easter, which commemorates Christians’ central belief that Jesus was crucified and buried before rising from the dead.
Foreheads smudged with the sign of the cross are the most visible sign of Ash Wednesday.
Parker United Methodist Church will be offering drive-thru ashes on Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
All are welcome to receive ashes no matter if they are members of the church. Drivers can follow the parking attendants, roll down their window, and receive either ashes, a blessing, prayers or all of the above.
"This is a great way to bring the church to the community," said Pastor Cody Anderson.
Parker United Methodist Church is at the corner of Parker Road and South Pine Drive.
Ash Wednesday
Christians who participate in Ash Wednesday services, where clergy often daub their foreheads with the sign of the cross, are participating in a thousand-year-old tradition, explained William Johnston, a professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton. In part, the practice exists to call churchgoers to repentance as they begin the spiritual journey of Lent.
Two phrases used in services over the centuries underscore that call to penance: “Remember, man, that you are dust and to dust you shall return,” taken from the biblical Book of Genesis; and “Repent, and believe in the Gospel,” words of Jesus’ in the Gospel of Mark.
“Each phrase in its own way serves the purpose of calling the faithful to live their Christian lives more deeply,” Johnston wrote. The first urges believers to “focus on what is essential,” while the second is “a direct call to follow” Jesus’ teachings.
After Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day period of Lent, a word whose roots refer to the “lengthening” of days in springtime. Spiritually, however, its purpose is preparation: a time of fasting and prayer before the joy of Easter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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