Take one part olive oil – olive oil was used in healing arts at the time normally applied with prayer (James 5), now it is a symbol of our prayers of repentance and healing through Jesus forgiveness.

It is these palm branches, ones of praise, which now become a symbol of Christ’s death on the cross. It was the beginning of the week when Jesus goes to the cross for us. Palm Sunday is the day they celebrated Jesus arrival at Jerusalem by waving palms and singing praises.

Take one part palm ash – these palm branches were used on palm Sunday from years past.

On Ash Wednesday the sign of a cross is made on our forehead – it is a cross that tells a story. Ash Wednesday is a reminder of that beginning as we start the journey of Lent – the journey to the cross with Jesus Christ. Who would ever think that such a simple recipe could have any kind of significance? Yet these ashes signify the beginning of our journey. These though are not ordinary ashes, not the kind you dispose of but instead ashes with a very special purpose in mind. Here’s another recipe. Take dried palm branches and burn them over high heat to soot, add a small amount of olive oil and you have another recipe for ashes. Perhaps you read the recent article in the Honolulu Advertiser about the disposal of all those ashes in Waimanalo Gulch on Oahu. Take thousands of pounds of trash and put it into a special incinerator to produce electricity called H-power while creating thousands of pounds of ash (though far less than before).

Ashes for imposition