To Dust We Return

I woke up this morning almost forgetting that it was Ash Wednesday. The season of Lent has officially begun already. Over time, this day has lost its oomph, definitely impacted by Covid but also church in general taking a lesser role in people’s lives.

I have memories of pancake suppers on Shrove Tuesday as a child and then turning up again to church the next day to have ashes put on my forehead. Most will not gather, although some may observe today in a distanced way. The last two years have featured ‘drive by ashings’ in some places. Does this day still hold meaning for us?

Perhaps with Russia’s war on Ukraine we need this day more than ever. Perhaps with the ongoing deaths and long-term health effects of survivors of Covid we need to embrace what Ash Wednesday means as we face our realities. Diana Butler Bass sent out a devotion this morning talking about how she used to find it sad that to dust we will return. Now, she sees it as amazing to be so inter-connected with the cosmos and the stars, with the good earth and all of creation. As we face our mortality contrasted to God’s immortality we perhaps regain some perspective of our place in all of it.

Through these tough times I have witnessed people being completely overwhelmed and holing up at home in fear. I have witnessed others trying to regain control, whether by controlling other people or what is happening at home or at church or at work. They have shown their anxiety by their forcefulness in trying to make things happen as they want them, in a way that makes sense to them. And there are many people trying to live in between these extremes, dealing with the fallout of both.

Lent, and particularly Ash Wednesday, calls us to change our perspective. It reminds us of our inter-connectedness to creation and each other. It reminds us that we are not in control or rulers of our own lives. It reminds us that humility is in order as we contemplate the God of the universe graciously calling us into being, breathing life into our lungs, and ultimately calling us home, leaving our dust and ashes behind. It reminds us that we are in need of forgiveness, and that God sent Jesus to model what forgiveness looks like and to die in our place.

I hope that this Ash Wednesday finds you well. I hope that today, despite war overseas (and let’s not forget the other ongoing conflicts that generate far less media attention) and all the issues we face, that you are able to rest in the knowledge of the One who loved you so much that a plan was made to connect you to others and to lead us all out of this mess.

God journeys with us. May we seize the rich opportunity of this season to lean into God’s love and be real about what we face. Jesus determinedly and willingly walked toward the cross, knowing what it would mean. Let’s walk with Him, and look for Him around us in this season. May we be that hope for others, showing Him in our words and actions and time set aside to nourish our faith.