"Ash Wednesday is the name given to the first day of the season of Lent, in which the Pastor applies ashes to the foreheads of Christians to signify an inner repentance.

"It probably dates from at least the 8th Century, and is taken from both the Old and New Testaments that  'the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth. Now let us do this at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast'.

"In the typical Ash Wednesday observance, Christians are invited to the altar to receive the imposition of ashes, prior to receiving the holy Supper. The Pastor applies ashes in the shape of the cross on the forehead of each, while speaking the words, 'For dust you are and to dust you shall return' (Genesis 3:19). This is what God spoke to Adam and Eve after they had eaten of the forbidden fruit and fallen into sin. These words indicated to our first parents the bitterest fruit of their sin, namely death. In the context of the Ash Wednesday imposition of ashes, they remind each participant of their sinfulness and mortality, and, thus, their need to repent and get right with God before it is too late. The cross reminds each person of the good news that through Jesus Christ crucified there is forgiveness for all sins, all guilt, and all punishment.

"Many Christians choose to leave the ashes on their forehead for the remainder of the day, not to be showy and boastful (see Matthew 6:16-18). Rather, they do it as a witness that all people are sinners in need of repentance AND that through Jesus all sins are forgiven through faith.

"While the words 'Ash Wednesday' are never mentioned in the Bible, the rite of ashes is heartily recommended to the Christian as a grand opportunity for repentance and spiritual renewal. A blessed Ash Wednesday observance to all."

(*In part, I do not know who Dr.Richard P. Bucher is.)