The following piece is a non copyrighted essay or prayer by a member of the Stillspeaking writers group, members of the United Church of Christ. We will be featuring one of these essays on each of the forty days of Lent!
You Are Dust!
"You are dust, and to dust you shall return." Genesis 3:19
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I hope you go to worship today. In our congregation, we call it "worship not for sissies" because we take part in ancient rituals that help us delve deeply into the mysteries of our faith.
There was a time when we did not impose ashes on worshipers foreheads because some folks objected that the practice was "too Catholic." Instead, we would trace the sign of the cross on worshipers foreheads with fragrant oil. The oil was no less obvious than the ashes, however, because it was very fragrant. After we had been doing this for a few years, one mother reported that when she got home from worship, her teenage son breathed deeply and said, "Ah, Mom, you smell like Lent!"
Eventually, we began to use both oil and ashes. We concluded that the "too Catholic" response was not only a form of bigotry, we also began to wonder why our Catholic brothers and sisters should get all the best rituals.
In placing ashes on beloved ones foreheads, I say what God reportedly said to Adam, "you are dust, and to dust you shall return." which may be one of the most irrefutable statements in all of scripture. It is one of the starkest reminders of our mortality we can experience. And when we leave church with the smudged reminder so obviously displayed on our faces, it is a witness to the world that we are mortal beings beginning a journey to an empty tomb and the promise of eternal life.
God, be with me and my church as we begin this Lenten journey together. Amen
By Martin B. Coperhaver, Senior pastor, Wellesley Congregation Church, UCC, Wellesley, Massachusetta.
To say that "God exists" is the greatest understatement ever made across space and time.
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