In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

            I don’t know how familiar you are with Ash Wednesday, so forgive me if you already know these things. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, which, except for Sundays, makes up the 40 days before the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Now there are all sorts of historical factors that go into this. 40 days for Lent goes back at least to the 6^th century, and maybe to the 3^rd century, because of the obvious connection to Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness after His baptism. Ashes on the head—probably not in a nice cross-shape, but sprinkled or put on the head with sackcloth—were originally related to public penitence after a public sin, and that public penitence often did happen during Lent. In the 10^th century, in England, ashes on the head became popular for the first day of Lent. It was probably only in the 20^th century that Lutherans picked it up again, for what it’s worth. Maybe you care about some of that stuff, and maybe you don’t.