As we approach Ash Wednesday and prepare to enter the season of Lent, it’s worth remembering how Martin Luther understood this time in the church year.
Lent: A Season of Returning to Christ
Luther did not object to the season of Lent. He valued it as a time for believers to slow down, reflect, and return to the heart of the gospel. He did however reject the idea that Lent (or any spiritual discipline) could earn God’s favor. Luther believed Lent could be deeply meaningful when practiced in the right spirit.
In the Small Catechism he wrote that “fasting and bodily preparation are indeed a fine outward training.” In other words, spiritual disciplines are good when they help us focus on Christ, rather than on ourselves.
For Luther, Lent was a season for:
• honest self-examination
• renewed trust in God’s mercy
• deeper engagement with Scripture
• practices that shape the heart, not impress God
Lent, he believed, was a time to remember and be who we are and whose we are.
Ash Wednesday: Repentance and Hope
Luther did not object to Ash Wednesday, nor did he insist on it. The imposition of ashes continued in many “Lutheran” churches, but he treated it as a practice neither commanded nor forbidden by Scripture. What mattered to him was not the ashes themselves, but the truth they point to:
• we are dust
• we are mortal
• and our hope rests in Christ alone
Ash Wednesday, for Luther, was a time for believers to honestly acknowledge their sinfulness and their need for God’s grace. It should never leave believers in despair. Rather, it should point them back to the promises of baptism—that is, daily dying to sin and rising to new life in Christ Jesus.
A Season Rooted in Grace
If Luther were to speak to us today, he might remind us that Lent is not a burden but a gift. It is a time to clean our hearts and lives, to return to the basics of our faith, and most importantly, to rediscover the depth of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.
As we enter this holy season, may we do so with open hearts—ready to be renewed, reshaped, and drawn closer to the One who walks with us from ashes to Easter.
Peace to you and yours!
Pastor MIke
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