{"id":7048249,"date":"2026-08-26T07:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T07:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/evangelical-pastor-attends-first-ash-wednesday-service\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T07:53:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T07:53:01","slug":"evangelical-pastor-attends-first-ash-wednesday-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7048249","title":{"rendered":"Evangelical Pastor Attends First Ash Wednesday Service"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

This is an article from Ruth, who is no stranger to readers at our sister site, Christianity 201 where her column appears every Friday. It\u2019s taken from her blog\u00a0Pastor Percipia<\/a><\/strong>. Click the link in the title which follows to read it where it appeared first.\u00a0<\/em><\/big><\/p>\n

Every now and then, do something that scares you. Good advice. Today I went for it.<\/big><\/p>\n

Today was Ash Wednesday. I\u2019d never attended a service. This was the day. First time.<\/big><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a social anxiety suffering introvert (INFJ-A), so going places with people in them is always work. Especially if I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll know anybody there. Especially if I don\u2019t know what will be expected of me when I arrive.<\/big><\/p>\n

I know, everybody experiences that kind of thing, but I always start at a deficit because\u2026 people.<\/big><\/p>\n

I have some notes I leave on my office door when I\u2019m going to be out so folks know more or less when to expect me back. Didn\u2019t have one for \u201cgoing to a midweek service at the church down the street\u201d so I went with \u2018memorial service.\u2019 Seemed appropriate.<\/big><\/p>\n

As I walked the few blocks through downtown, I had time to remind myself that this, as well as being one of the touch-points of the church calendar, was a refresher on what it might be like for someone attending my church for the first time. New to the forms, not knowing anyone there, walking in the door looking for cues and hints as to what to do, or where to sit. Looking for signs of impending weirdness. Good medicine for the pastor.<\/big><\/p>\n

When going somewhere unfamiliar, you want to time your arrival well. Not too early, but early enough to get a seat near the back so you can watch what everyone else is doing and follow suit.<\/big><\/p>\n

I was perfectly on time\u2026 at the wrong door. By the time I\u2019d walked around to the right door, I could hear that the service had begun.<\/big><\/p>\n

I walked into the little lobby space and there was a helpful sign telling me what books to pick up off the cart. So far so good.<\/big><\/p>\n

I opened the inner doors and looked around. Oh dear.<\/big><\/p>\n

The place was pretty full, and everyone was reading aloud in unison from their service books. Between actual attendees and their coats, most of the seats were taken. The person sitting nearest the door who saw me enter nodded me toward the (oh dear) front.<\/big><\/p>\n

Front row, aisle seat. Which meant that when it came time for the Imposition of Ashes and for Eucharist, there wasn\u2019t anybody in line ahead of me. Nobody for me to follow and imitate. Which meant I heard about half of the homily. Thinking I should have left my office earlier. Thinking I should have watched a video of an Ash Wednesday service before coming. Like, what am I supposed to do? Or, more importantly, absolutely never ever do?<\/big><\/p>\n

When it came time to step toward the altar to receive the ashes, I whispered to the person beside me, \u201cI\u2019m new. I\u2019ll follow you.\u201d Managed to find a place 5 or 6 back in line. Which helped.<\/big><\/p>\n

Thoughtful music filled the air, feet shuffled in the salt and sand on the floor, cloth rustled, voices murmured. I could hear the deacon, knowing her people, call each of them by name and say, \u201cRemember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return\u201d as she traced on their foreheads with her thumb the ashes of last year\u2019s celebratory palms. When I got to the front of the line, I told her my name. She said, \u201cRuth, remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.\u201d She smoothed the dark onto my forehead.<\/big><\/p>\n

We returned to our seats as the table was prepared for Eucharist. We stood again to receive the sacred meal. Again the lining up. Again the music. Again the quiet and the body sounds of people moving together forward.<\/big><\/p>\n

The wafer in my hand. The cup at my lips. The crisp of the bread. The tang of the wine.<\/big><\/p>\n

His body broken for me. His blood shed for me.<\/big><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t often simply receive communion, so this was a blessing for me. To be served. To be reminded. To be humbled.<\/big><\/p>\n

At the end of the service I put on my coat, and pulled on my hat. By the time I got back to the office my cross of ash was a smudge. No selfie. But that\u2019s OK.<\/big><\/p>\n

I\u2019m really glad I went, to spend time blending my voice with brothers and sisters who I know, in theory, are out there but don\u2019t really ever see. To be reminded of what it feels like to be an outsider. To be reminded that I am dust, and to dust I shall return.<\/big><\/p>\n

Particularly, the last bit. To be reminded that anyone who thinks that ash is the last word\u2026 hasn\u2019t met my God.<\/big><\/p>\n

______<\/p>\n

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!<\/em>
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!<\/em>
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss<\/em>
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,<\/em>
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.<\/em><\/big><\/p>\n

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,<\/em>
when I was sinking down, O my soul!<\/em>
When I was sinking down beneath God\u2019s righteous frown,<\/em>
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,<\/em>
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.<\/em><\/big><\/p>\n

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
to God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb who is the great \u201cI AM,\u201d
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing.<\/em><\/big><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a>Ruth, pictured here in her more familiar territory, is the Pastor of Calvary Baptist, a church in the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec denomination, located on the shore of Lake Ontario in Cobourg.<\/p>\n

<\/span>\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is an article from Ruth, who is no stranger to readers at our sister site, Christianity 201 where her column appears every Friday. It\u2019s taken from her blog\u00a0Pastor Percipia. Click the link in the title which follows to read it where it appeared first.\u00a0 Every now and then, do something that scares you. Good […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7048250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[149279,134150,105797,210879,12175,134152,210880],"tags":[13045,3058,49373,22162,4934,6858],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7048249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anglican","category-ash-wednesday","category-christianity","category-church-calendar","category-episcopal","category-lent","category-liturgical-calendar","tag-ash","tag-attends","tag-evangelical","tag-pastor","tag-service","tag-wednesday"],"yoast_head":"\nEvangelical Pastor Attends First Ash Wednesday Service - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7048249\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Evangelical Pastor Attends First Ash Wednesday Service - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is an article from Ruth, who is no stranger to readers at our sister site, Christianity 201 where her column appears every Friday. 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