Rev. Jessi Higginbotham

Minister of Word & Sacrament

beach labyrinth

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, 40 days of prayer, contemplation, confession and penitence. Lent ends with the celebration of Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This lesson will teach you about Ash Wednesday and delve into the contemplative prayer practice of walking the labyrinth — an ancient form of meditation.

ash cross

Ash Wednesday

hands folded over bible

Scripture

labyrinth on a beach

The Labyrinth

labyrinth

Pray the Labyrinth

More about the Labyrinth

  • labyrinth

    The Labyrinth Society

  • bibles in a church pew

    The Labyrinth and Church

    It's possible the Labyrinth predates the church, but today churches are the most common places where Labyrinths are found. Why is this? We believe that finding a time and space to pray and draw closer to God benefit us all. The ancient practice of walking the Labyrinth can be a very spiritual experience and so we as Christians invite it into our lives. We welcome this practice because it gives us a chance to try something new and unique that might enhance our spiritual lives.

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    Prayer on the Path

    How to Pray the Labyrinth

    Begin by printing the finger labyrinth. Take a few deep breaths and choose something to pray about, someone to pray for, or something you'd like to talk to God about. It always helps to write that down. Trace your finger along the path of the labyrinth concentrating on your prayer(s). It's ok to get distracted, pause, breath, start again or continue on. Trace your finger from the outside in and then the inside out along the path as you pray. Consider adopting this practice every day during Lent as a way to pray during this Holy Season.

    Search the Labyrinth Society website to find a Labyrinth near you and experience this practice in person.

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    Inner Peace

    Inner Peace is something we all seek out in life. How do we find it? Meditation, relaxation, deep breathing, prayer, or just sitting quietly are a few ways in which we can begin our journey to inner peace. One of the purposes of walking and praying the labyrinth is to focus and concentrate on something besides the world around us. In our quest for inner peace, perhaps the Labyrinth might show us a way to achieve something we so deeply desire?

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. On Ash Wednesday we hear Jesus speak to the crowds on what it means to pray. Pray to God quietly, in your home. Don't boast or brag about your relationship with God. This isn't meant to chastise us or scold us — it's meant to remind us that God wants a personal relationship with us. God wants to hear from us in prayer. When we pray, we don't have to go out into the street and scream our prayers to God. We can simply talk to God as though God were right in the room with us. We don't have to tell anyone about our prayers or share what we talk about with God. Our relationship with God is just between us.

In worship on Ash Wednesday, we are marked with the sign of the cross in ashes on our forehead. We are told "you have come from dust and to dust you shall return." This symbolic gesture reminds us of our mortality. It reminds us we were created from the dust of the earth and one day, we will return to the dust of the earth, the cycle of life. While this reminder might seem morbid it is an important way to enter into the Season of Lent.

Lent is the 40 days prior to Easter. After Ash Wednesday we begin Lent with a new sense of our mortality. This is meant to inspire us to work through Lent to grow closer to God. It is meant to give us a renewed sense of our faith and open our eyes to the short time we have here on earth.

Many people give something up during Lent. They see this as a practice of sacrifice — similar to the sacrifice made by Jesus. And they see this as a reminder to spend Lent drawing closer to God. Whether you choose to do this or not, I encourage you to take on the practice of praying the Labyrinth during Lent. We'll learn more about this practice in the next column.

Ash Wednesday Scripture

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The

Labyrinth

The origin of the Labyrinth isn't quite known. We know they predate Christianity as they were featured in Greek Mythology. The word 'labyrinth' simply means maze and they usually feature one path inward and one path outward. However, unlike mazes, labyrinths weren't used as games — there is not meant to be a navigational challenge to labyrinths.

Instead, labyrinths have historically become paths for walking and meditating. In the Christian practice of walking the labyrinth one says a prayer or prays as they walk for different things. They are used as a spiritual practice, a way to draw closer to God.

There are many designs to labyrinths, and they can be made of any material. Paper on the floor, rocks on the sand, the way your grass is cut in your yard. You can even use a miniature labyrinth and trace the path with your finger — one is provided for you in the next box.

Because a labyrinth is a simple, straight forward path in front of you, one can walk (or trace) and not have to concentrate on the path but instead concentrate on your own thoughts. This is why prayer is suggested — use the labyrinth as a guide for how long you pray, how you pray and what you pray about.

There is even a Labyrinth Society where you can find all kinds of information and search for a labyrinth near you.