Remember…From Dust You Came, To Dust You Shall Return

As pastor, one of my favorite worship services has been Ash Wednesday. There is something deeply profound about a worship experience, which invites us to think about the darkness that resides in each of us and to remember that our time here on this earth is finite.

There is also something beautiful about the ways such a worship experience invites us to be vulnerable and brave.

As worshippers come forward to receive the ashes, I can see if their eyes are somber, almost looking a bit anxious. I know it is a little unsettling to walk down an aisle, make our way to the altar to receive the ashes, and hear the instruction to remember our own sinfulness, our brokenness, and our mortality. It is a little unsettling not to be able to see (until we look in the mirror later) the mark of both our darkness and God’s light on our foreheads, that is visible to all around us.

Being the one who has the advantage of looking into the eyes of those who are receiving the ashes, I see both the dark and the light. Often, I know dark places of people’s lives, which they try to hide from others.   I know their struggles with despair, depression, loneliness, isolation, self-hatred, and doubt. I know the pain of physical abuse, substance abuse, mental illness, and rejection they or someone they know faces. I also know the reality of the “if only people really knew” fear they carry. I know the weight of this burden. For I also know my dark places.

Then we are greeted, embraced, and held by the One who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. We are reassured there is no darkness which the Giver of Light cannot break through. We are reminded that just as our own spirits came to this earth through our Creator, our spirits will return to our Creator when our life on this earth is over. Yet, our spirits are invited to return to God even before this life is over, to return to our original state of being in tune with God’s spirit.

If we allow ourselves to be honest before God and one another...

If we allow the truth of restoration and redemption to be proclaimed...

If we allow the weight of our embarrassment and shame to be lifted...

If we allow the light of God to shine once again in our lives but fully receive the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ...

THEN we can experience the beauty, the joy, the sweet relief of returning to the person God has created us to be.

On this Ash Wednesday, may we hear and receive the good news of God’s grace, truth, and light.