Let us pray:
O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our
minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form.
Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. From dust and ashes you came and to dust and ashes you shall return. These are the word we normally hear at a graveside service. The Hebrew Scripture tells us in Genesis that God formed us out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into what he had formed. Did you know that the Hebrew word for human "Adam" is based on the Hebrew word for red? Some think this is actually an allusion to red clay. Red clay is very prevalent here so that stuff that you get on your shoes and that stains your carpets is actually your kin.
Some people think this image of God forming the first "Adam" out of clay to be mainly poetic. But science has demonstrated how accurate it actually is. We all know that the human body is mostly water 75% they say. Remove the water and we are just a pile of chemicals. This pile of chemicals, because of its iron content would probably be red just like the iron rich clay in Prince Edward Island or in Africa. Chemically we are not that much different from the dirt beneath our feet.
In Genesis account of the creation when we take a closer look. We will discover that God spoke every living organism into existence, every thing visible and invisible came about through the spoken Word, except humanity. We are told that God created humanity with his own hands from material that already existed.
But there is more to this dust and ashes stuff than just our chemical composition. The fact that we are merely over-glorified clay has a spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are dependant upon God. Without God's breath or spirit (in Hebrew … Ruwach) we are nothing. Without the breath or Spirit of God we are just like these ashes: lifeless.
The problem is we forget this fact: that we are merely ashes and dust; that we are kin to the dust. We imagine ourselves to be more than we are. We deny our dependence upon God. We delude ourselves into thinking we are masters of our own destiny.
I remember growing up in Ghana we had a fire stove. It was my job to take the ashes out. They were useless so we would dispose of them as just so much trash. So why do we put this (for lack of a better word) garbage on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday?
Where did this strange tradition come from and what does it mean? First of all these ashes are a reminder of who we are. The Bible tells us that we came from the dust and to the dust we shall return. These ashes are also a sign of repentance. Lent is a time of mourning our sins. It is a time when we are called to repent and change our ways. In Bible times it was common for people who were mourning the death of a loved to dress in sackcloth and put ashes on their heads. Hence the expression, "Sack cloth and ashes."
But they probably put the ashes on top of their heads. Why do we put a cross on the forehead? It is a sign that we are sealed for Christ. Often times when a baby is baptized the pastor marks the child with the sign of the cross. The cross of ashes is also a reminder of the mark of the lamb in Revelation.
In the book of Revelation it tells of an angel marking the faithful before the tribulation. These faithful would then be protected. The mark was a mark of ownership, we belong to God.
That is why the prophet Joel calls us to repentance. That is why we need to repent of our pride. That is what Ash Wednesday is all about. Remembering what we really are. And what are we? We are dust and ashes made alive only by God's Spirit. We are arrogant and sinful little creatures who fail to give God due credit. We are disobedient children in need of our God's help.
But be warned. God wants us to rend our hearts and not our clothes. Our repentance is not for outward show. It should be an inward turning from evil. Jesus warns his disciples not to make a show of their piety. Don't blow a trumpet to call attention to your charity. Hide it instead so that God alone sees it. That way the only benefit you get from it is the satisfaction of doing God's will. When you fast don't make it known to everyone or their fleeting admiration will be all you get out of it.
It is also important that we use palm branches to make these ashes. The palms are a symbol of victory. So all our victories are but ashes before the glory of God. These may be just a few ashes but they mean a lot. They are a symbol of our need for God. We are nothing but dust and ashes apart from God.
They are also a symbol of our repentance and mourning. They are a way of showing on the outside what is happening on the inside. We are truly sorry and mournful for the evil and hurtful this we have done. Our trust in our own vain glories have tarnished the image of Christ in us.
Yet in the midst of our repentance we are forgiven and marked as Christ's own. The very burning away of our sin by the fire of God's love makes us God's won. And as his own we are stamped and certified as children of God through the cross. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "We entreat you on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God." Paul was calling the Corinthians to repentance. It was a small thing to say, "I leave the old and turn to God." But by that one small action we open ourselves up to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So as we come today to have the sign of the cross placed on our foreheads rend our hearts. Repent of those vain glories. And accept the grace and forgiveness that marks us as redeemed children of God.
Amen.
Rev. Samuel King-Kabu
February 9, 2005