Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent for Western Christians. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of believers (usually in the shape of a cross) with the words “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Ashes were used in the Bible and ancient times to …

Wednesday, February 18, known as Ash Wednesday, begins the Lenten season that culminates in the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday. If you have followed with me celebrating the season of Advent during Christmastime, then you know that it is the start of the new church year. While our solar calendar is structured around the rhythms of nature and the seasons, the church calendar is organized around God and the rhythms of His activity in the world. Advent begins the church year—and rightly so—because with it we celebrate the first coming of Christ as a baby born in Bethlehem. In the Advent season we also look for and await Christ’s second coming and the fulfillment of the kingdom promises…