Good morning…
In the middle of this special night, our wind chimes are going crazy. I step out into the darkness to experience the blustery air. The tall trees are creaking, swaying, aching in the gusty breeze. Wow. What a wild, windy Ash Wednesday! The power of our living God is completely undeniable.
Today is the start of the Lenten season, the day our foreheads are smudged with a cross of dirty ashes, a time to reflect upon our humble humanity. “From dust you have come, And to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19, VOICE).
In the deep dark of this sacred night, we turn to a poem to sense just who we are.
******
Blessing the Dust – A Blessing for Ash Wednesday by Jan Richardson from Circle of Grace
All those days
you felt like dust,
like dirt,
as if all you had to do
was turn your face
toward the wind
and be scattered
to the four corners
or swept away
by the smallest breath
as insubstantial –
did you not know
what the Holy One
can do with dust?
This is the day
we freely say
we are scorched.
This is the hour
we are marked
by what has made it
through the burning.
This is the moment
we ask for the blessing
that lives within
the ancient ashes,
that makes its home
inside the soil of
this sacred earth.
So let us be marked
not for sorrow.
And let us be marked
not for shame.
Let us be marked
not for false humility
or for thinking
we are less
than we are
but for claiming
what God can do
within the dust,
within the dirt,
within the stuff
of which the world
is made
and the stars that blaze
in our bones
and the galaxies that spiral
inside the smudge
we bear.
******
The Lord is as kind
to his followers
as a father is to his children.
He knows all about us.
He knows
we are made from dust.
– Psalm 103:13-14 (ERV)
Like the playful clamor of the shiny wind chimes. Like the creative caress of the blustery breeze. Like the moaning groans of the dancing trees. During this set apart season of Lent, might the dust of who we are come vividly alive with the undeniable power of the Holy One?
Lord, help me to trust what You can do with my dust.
…Sue…
P.S. If you are looking for an Ash Wednesday service to attend today, you are welcome to join us in the sanctuary at Northside Church at noon or 6:30 pm. (2799 Northside Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30305)
