February is here, and that means that a certain day is swiftly drawing near. It’s a day that sometimes gets forgotten or overlooked, and some folks do their level best to ignore it altogether. But it is an important day because it calls our attention to love. I’m talking, of course, about Ash Wednesday. What? You thought, perhaps, I meant Valentines’ Day?
Does it seem surprising that I say Ash Wednesday is a day centered on love? For most folks, the first thing that comes to mind is the ashen cross marked on peoples’ foreheads. For others maybe Ash Wednesday brings to mind thoughts of self-denial and fasting; it’s still common for people to give something up for Lent, while others have chosen to lean into the idea of taking on a new practice for the Lenten season. Whatever might come to mind for you, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a time in the Church year that focuses on repentance and reflection, discipline and devotion. So perhaps you’re asking, like Tina Turner, “What’s love got to do with it?”
An ashen cross may seem a less obvious sign of love than a heart-shaped box of chocolates, but it is a sign of love. It is a reflection of the cross that was marked on our brow when we were baptized, a sign that God calls us “Beloved.” It is a reminder of the love that led God to take on flesh; to live among us, die for us, and rise again ahead of us. It is a reminder that though we are but dust, we have a God who brings beauty out of ashes and life out of death. The ashes on our brows are a reminder of the love that is at the heart of our faith—a love that saves us and sends us out.
Ash Wednesday is a day that tells us who we are. We are sinners; dust and ashes! But by grace we are also saints; marked by the cross of Christ and clothed with his righteousness. And because we are so dearly loved, death is not the last word; Jesus lives, and because he so loves us, so shall we.
As we prepare for the season of Lent, I pray that the ashen crosses we will receive will be for you a sign of love. But I also hope that you will carry that love with you through the season and through the year. Let the love that has saved you also send you out into the world to share good news with others.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Will Starkweather
Last modified: February 24, 2026
What a good reminder again that the ashes on our brows represent love….. and that Lent is a time for repentance and reflection, discipline and devotion.
Thanks for this message of love.