Hi First Presbyterian,
Ash Wednesday makes some Protestants uncomfortable. Some would rather not participate in the imposition of ashes at all. Others participate but add glitter to the ashes. There are probably a variety of other reasons, too, people don’t like to receive ashes and be reminded of mortality. I embrace the traditional observance of Ash Wednesday but understand the aversion by some Protestants. In fact, this aversion goes all the way back to the time of the Protestant Reformation.
In the sixteenth century AD, Martin Luther did away with the long-observed practice of imposing ashes. His reason? Because the practice isn’t found in the New Testament. In other words, because Jesus didn’t say, “Put ashes on your foreheads on Ash Wednesday,” Martin Luther didn’t want to encourage people to do it. Luther was pushing back against certain beliefs, traditions, and rituals of the medieval Catholic Church that he believed were ridiculous, harmful, and distracted from the message of the Gospel. He looked to scripture as his guide and, as a result, rejected many of the contemporary beliefs and traditions of his day. This is also one of the reasons that Lutherans (and Presbyterians, for that matter) have only two Sacraments, instead of seven.
Is Luther’s reason for rejecting the practice of imposing ashes a good reason? It depends on what you think the purpose of scripture is. Is the purpose of scripture to give us an exhaustive list of everything we ought to be doing in worship? Some Christians think so. Many very conservative Calvinists and Anabaptists hold to a belief called the “regulative principle of worship.” This principle states that God commands us to include certain specific elements in our public worship as found in scripture and that, conversely, we are prohibited from including anything in worship that isn’t found in scripture. This principle is held by many Reformed Baptists today. For example, the Bible includes as elements of worship: reading scripture, preaching, singing, and praying. So, many Reformed Baptists believe that those elements MUST be included in worship. However, scripture never mentions choirs, pageants, or certain instruments as elements of worship. So, many Reformed Baptists believe that God PROHIBITS things like the singing of anthems by a choir, special instrumentalist performances, and children’s Christmas pageants. Among some of these groups there is fierce debate as to which instruments are commanded/prohibited, so they avoid any possible missteps and simply have acapella congregational singing. Obviously, we don’t believe that at First Presbyterian.
So, was Martin Luther right to get rid of Ash Wednesday? Well, there is always historical and cultural context to consider, but I would argue that just because Luther (or Calvin or any of our forbearers) did (or didn’t do) something means we must follow them. The Bible never mentions modern day organs – should we get rid of our organ? The Bible never mentions stained-glass windows – should we replace our windows? The Bible never mentions Minute for Missions – should we never allow that to happen? I assume many of you would shudder at some of those suggestions!
Presbyterians have been observing Ash Wednesday for many years now. The Bible never says, “You must put ashes on your forehead to begin the Lenten season.” Nevertheless, I believe there are good and very meaningful reasons we do it anyway. If you want to know those reasons, I encourage you to worship with us tonight at 7pm – online or in-person. I hope to worship with you tonight!
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff