Ash Wednesday reminds us that from dust we came and to dust we shall return. Until we honestly confront that in and of ourselves we are nothing but dust we cannot embrace the gift of the cross or the hope of the resurrection.
Will you admit that you are nothing but dust? Here are some scriptures to meditate on today to help us confront that without Christ we are nothing but dust.
Genesis 2:7, "And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."
Psalm 51:5, "Surely I have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
Isaiah 53:6, "We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..."
Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
How does it make you feel to confront your dust? What do these verses stir up in you?
It may not be comfortable, but it is very healthy to take an honest inventory of our falleness as humanity. This is the purpose of Ash Wednesday. It is a time to make me think about what I do not want to think about; that left to myself I am nothing but selfish, greedy, bitter, controlling, angry, hurting, fearful, hopeless dust. This acknowledgement is what will allow us to see the power of Christ's cross and empty grave. But for now, we must resist the temptation to run to Christ's symbols of hope and we must force ourselves to stare into our dust.
I hope you will join us tonight at 7 PM for our Ash Wednesday service in which we dare to confront our dust.
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