A 40-day journey of repentance, prayer and hope in Christ begins now.
“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” — Genesis 3:19
Today, Concordia students, faculty and staff gathered as a campus community to begin the sacred season of Lent with Ash Wednesday — a solemn and beautiful reminder of who we are and whose we are.
There is something deeply grounding about this day. In a world that constantly urges us to move faster, achieve more and present polished versions of ourselves, Ash Wednesday gently tells the truth: We are dust. We are finite. We are dependent. And we are deeply loved by the God who formed us.
Lent is a 40-day season of repentance, fasting and prayer observed by Christians around the world. It follows the pattern of our Lord Jesus’s 40 days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness following His baptism in the Jordan. Think of Lent as an invitation — not into guilt or shame — but into honesty. It is a season to pause, to reflect and to return again to the mercy of God.
Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.
At the center of today’s service was the Imposition of Ashes. Ashes — made from the burned palms of previous Palm Sundays — were traced in the shape of a cross on the foreheads of those who came forward. As each person received the ashes, the words of Genesis were spoken: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Confronted today with our mortality, those words carry weight. They remind us that apart from God, we are dust.
And yet, the cross traced in ash speaks even louder. The same Lord who formed us from the dust has redeemed us through the cross. The mark on our foreheads is not only a sign of repentance — it is a sign of belonging. Even in mortality, there is resurrection. Even in repentance, there is hope.
Receiving ashes is not a sacrament, and it remains a matter of Christian freedom. Some at the chapel service came forward; others remained seated in prayer. What matters most is not the outward mark, but the promise spoken over us. Throughout the service, confession and absolution framed our worship, reminding us that repentance is always met with forgiveness.
Do not walk this season alone
As the Scripture readings, hymns and preaching throughout the Lenten season call us to examine our lives in light of God’s Word, here is a gentle reminder: You do not walk this season alone.
If you have a home congregation, your pastor stands ready to provide care, including individual confession and absolution. If you do not have a church home, or have questions about Lent, Campus Pastor Rev. Jonathon Bakker is always glad to talk, pray and listen.
Tonight, CUW will gather again at 9:30 p.m. in the chapel for the Ash Wednesday Evening Divine Service. In the weeks ahead, our Wednesday Lenten midweek services will center on Evening Prayer and a sermon series focusing on martyrs in the Bible — faithful witnesses who clung to Christ in life and in death.
As you look through the photos from today’s service, notice the reverence, humility and quiet confidence in Christ’s mercy. Marked with ashes. Marked with the cross. Marked as His.
You are dust.
And in Christ, you are redeemed.
The Lord bless you and keep you in this Lenten season.
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Concordia University Wisconsin is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world.