Almighty God,
In Christ, lifted high on the cross, we see the price paid for our own sin.
Our own towering pride, nailed to the tree.
Our arrogant elevation of our own self-sufficiency, nailed to the tree.
Our belief in and pursuit of our own kingdoms, our own way, nailed to the tree.
King Jesus,
You took all of our struggles, all of our idolatry, all of our unbelief, all of our scheming self-justification, all of our sin as your own. Our sin, exchanged for your righteousness. And according to your righteous plan, what humanity marked as an instrument of death, became the instrument for the death of death itself. By your mercy we are crucified with you, so that in you we might have your eternal resurrection life.
Have us know that the ashes that mark our foreheads tonight are not for show. They are a preached proclamation, not a mark of pride nor of shame, but of humility and hope. A sobering reminder of the truth of our mortality, ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Yet a Spirit breathed confession of hope, because You do beautiful things with dust, You breathe life into dust.
So we are marked as those who were once children of the darkness, rescued by the cross and empty tomb to become children of the Lord of Light.
In your gracious and mighty name we pray,
AMEN.