Everyone’s heard of Ash Wednesday, right?

If not, here’s Wikipedia‘s definition:

Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting, is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity. It occurs 46 days (40 fasting days, if the 6 Sundays, which are not days of fast, are excluded) before Easter ….
According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan.^[2] Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter. …Accordingly, Christians fasted from Monday to Saturday (6 days) during 6 weeks and from Wednesday to Saturday (4 days) in the preceding week, thus making up the number of 40 days.^[3]

….”Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”.

Now that we’ve all been educated . . .

Here’s a video in observance of Ash Wednesday.

The song is called, The Ballad of St. Augustine (like the novel!), by Disciple–a really freaking awesome band that has won many awards for said awesomeness. Most would call them a “Christian band” but since I have major contempt for labels, I’m just going to call them talented.

If you’re one of those peoples who don’t care for the type of music in the video (big, heavy drums, guitars, and the like), I’m pasting the lyrics to the song below, so you can read how very poetic and lovely they are without the “noise pollution” as my dad would call it.

 The air is leaving here
It’s getting hard to breathe, I’m choking

The fracture was innocent
A miniature compromise that exploded

Inside my atmosphere
And now the paradigm is shifting
A good man was living here
Virtuous evidence has all but disappeared

Right was wrong when wrong went right
I’m fading
Black has turned to gray inside
And I know that I need saving, can You save me?
Take me away to where You are
Cause I won’t leave without it

Involuntary fast
The bread that never lasts, I’m starving
Sanity shackled here
The key is in my hand, but I’m frozen
Revelation sings
Justice delivery is blinding
My death is imminent
I’d rather die with You than utterly alone

Welcome back my innocence
How I have so longed to see your face again
Overwhelmed I say goodbye
As the pages turn I say goodbye
Passing by the end of my life

Pages turn, memories burning away
Ashes celebrate
You’re washing me, consuming me
As I’m falling on Your sword
You’re washing me, branding me with grace
Innocence reborn

***In the video, you’ll get the scripture reference that goes along with each line, just as it is in the album.