Ash Wednesday
On Wednesday evening, dozens of Protestant churches in my area held Ash Wednesday services. I've always been uncomfortable with this practice. A quick research of Ash Wednesday on the internet yields much information on its connections not only with the Catholic Church but also with a sacramentalism that Protestants broke away from after the Reformation.
One Protestant defender of such a practice said to me, “Any time I can gather a group of people to hear God's Word is good.” Of course, he is right. It is never bad for people to gather to study Scripture and pray together. The question has to be asked though: Is this close connection with the Catholic Church and corresponding practices of Lent worth keeping for the sake of one Wednesday evening service?
Lent is supposed to be a time of inner cleansing and introspection in preparation for the celebration of what Christ did on our behalf. Unfortunately, it is practiced in the most trivial of ways. There is no better way to mock Jesus' importance in your life to others than by claiming such things like giving up chocolate, cola, or meat (as is the practice for many Catholics and Protestants here in America) really pay Christ homage. Further, by making 40 days out of the year ‘sacred’, what are you saying about the rest of the year? The clear consequence of this type of thinking can be seen in the celebrations of Mardi Gras.
Ash Wednesday (kicking off the Lenten season) carries with it both theological and practical baggage. I doubt it is worth continuing a practice with such problems. Maybe a better idea is that we use the opportunity to clearly delineate between playing at religion verses taking one's relationship with Christ seriously all year long through meaningful obedience that gives glory to the Father (instead of taking a few inches off the waist). Or, maybe it opens up an opportunity to make every Wednesday evening a good time to gather for prayer and Bible study.