Last night, we attended the wonderfully peaceful service of Holy Communion with the Imposition of Ashes.
It may well have been cold and wet but churchgoers from across the Benefice came to Ss Simon & Jude, Cockshutt for this special service which marks the beginning of Lent.
From the outset, the atmosphere in Church was different to that of a normal service; the raw starkness of the Church was striking. The brightly coloured stained-glass windows that we’re all so familiar with were, this evening, a severe and opaque black, the altar was draped in Purple (more of this in later posts), all flowers had been removed and there was an absence of both music and singing. The silence was palpable.
The Service itself was sensitively led by Rev. Anne and it focused our minds and souls on the beginning of Lent and the journey of prayer and penitence which lies ahead as we prepare for Easter.
A key part of this special service was the Imposition of Ashes whereby we received in ash the sign of the cross, the symbol of our salvation, on our foreheads. For each one of us, this was accompanied by the solemn words,
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ”.
Genesis 3:19
Afterwards, we celebrated Holy Communion and finished with Prayers.
It was a truly lovely and reflective Service; in a very quiet, peaceful way, we felt ready to begin our own Lenten journeys.