Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I led an Ash Wednesday service. And to my surprise, I found it extremely moving.
I say “to my surprise” because my tradition is not one for rituals. In fact, I was formed in church contexts that made a point of not doing things like Ash Wednesday—precisely because they looked too much like a Catholic observance. We worried about outward forms: about the danger that ritual action might substitute for inward faith, or worse, become a kind of spiritual performance.
thewadrproject.com 