A Traditional Ash Wednesday Service

The service below draws on many traditional Ash Wednesday texts and is designed for use in liturgical and traditional churches that do not already have a prescribed liturgy for Ash Wednesday. It also provides a model for planning worship in other styles and traditions. ENTRANCE Commentary: The visual setting for Ash Wednesday should be stark and solemn. As the first day of Lent, this occasion is an appropriate time for the introduction of the colors and symbols that will be used throughout the season by a congregation. The color purple is most commonly used, suggesting the penitential nature of the season. Common Lenten symbols include the cross, a person on a journey, or images of the desert. Use of dark gray and various earth tones is also appropriate for Ash Wednesday, recalling the ashes as an image of human mortality. Gathering in Silence Commentary: Silence is essential to capturing the solemn nature of the occasion and may be interspersed at appropriate places throughout t…