Christians across Tyler gather to mark the beginning of Lent

Published 6:00 pm Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Tyler resident Lavonne Schauwecker has participated in Ash Wednesday for over 60 years. The tradition holds significant symbolic meaning for Christians, representing a time for self-reflection and repentance.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season of reflection, repentance and renewal, said Ivey Soriano, First Christian Church Tyler communications coordinator.

“Most people look at it as what more can we do to have a better relationship with Jesus,” Soriano said. “Everyone kind of takes it as a time of meditation and reconciliation.”

Having the cross imposed on one’s forehead is a symbolic reminder that everyone returns to the earth in death, Soriano said. It is a time to recognize the importance of understanding Jesus as a human being to deepen one’s faith and connection with Him.

“You are reminded that we are mortal and that one day we will return to Heaven,” Soriano said.

Schauwecker highlighted the public display of Ash Wednesday as a representation of her Christian identity, underscoring the importance of community and shared belief.

While the practice isn’t explicitly in the Bible, scripture from Genesis is metaphorically applied. “Dust you are and to dust you will return,” –Genesis 3:19

Churches use the ashes of palm branches from the year before. Rev. Ginger Brandt said that a healthy plant used during the Easter celebration decays and is burnt, and is used as ashes to mark the foreheads of Christians entering the following season.

Pull Quote

“It’s an age-old practice that we try to filter through a little bit of a modern light. In olden church times, this was the season of penitence or repentance. We think of it most helpfully as a season to refocus or reorient.” 

Rev. Ginger Brandt, First Christian Church Tyler

“It’s a sign of human mortality to wear ashes,” Brandt said. “Humans came from the dirt of the earth and go back into the dirt of the earth after every human dies.”

Peggy Arbuckle said it was a cleansing experience and an opportunity to express gratitude to God. Arbuckle emphasized the significance of Ash Wednesday in fostering a sense of belonging and spiritual growth among Christians.

“It’s an age-old practice that we try to filter through a little bit of a modern light,” Brandt said. “In olden church times, this was the season of penitence or repentance. We think of it most helpfully as a season to refocus or reorient.”