I meant to post this closer to Ash Wednesday but honestly, it got away from me and I had a serious case of writer’s block. Some of it stems from my own current situation and just a whole lot of uncertainty. As I try and wait and trust in God He just seems awfully quiet at the moment. There have been times recently that I’ve seen God working or felt Him leading but at the moment I just feel like I’m stuck in a holding pattern…better yet, I feel like I’m stuck in the airport terminal waiting for God to hand me my ticket and tell me which flight is mine. The other part of my writer’s block comes from the fallout of what just happened in my denomination. Since my last post, I’ve continued to see so much division, arguing and fighting. I don’t mean disagreeing or debating, I’m talking straight up uncivil behavior, name calling and the like. Much of what I’ve seen is from my fellow clergy, people who claim to be set apart and called to ministry. It reminds me of Matthew 15:18 where Jesus says “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” But I digress.
When thinking about Ash Wednesday I’m constantly reminded of the symbolism behind the ashes as a reminder that in the end, we are all dust. We started that way and eventually, we’ll return. It’s equal parts humbling and depressing. The idea that one day this body will no longer exist and the reminder that we all start and end the same way. This latter part though…if you truly break it down, take away everything that we use to separate and divide, we are all the same. All of this “stuff”, one day won’t matter. It’ll be gone just like us.
What frustrates me is that we seem to measure the worth of another based on this “stuff”. That someone one person is better than another or worth more than another because of what they own. Granted, there are people in this world who are important: scientists, doctors, teachers, etc. people who make a difference in the lives of others. I’m sure there’s a lot of other people I could add to this list, but in our world, it seems to be that “importance” is measured by money, power, possessions or fame. On social media, it’s the number of likes, followers, retweets, shares, friends and the like. People are more concerned with going viral posting their good deeds or standing by and filming the misfortune of others. Couple this with our penchant for instant gratification and it’s no wonder the world is the way it is.
The idea of Ash Wednesday goes against all of this. Ash Wednesday reminds us that in the grand scheme of things we’re worth no more than the dirt beneath our feet. Yet in God’s eyes, we’re priceless. Realistically, this doesn’t make any sense. Why would God put so much value in…dirt? So much so that Jesus died to reconcile us with God? This is the second part of Ash Wednesday…reminding us that God can use this dust to do extraordinary things. God created us out of dust and uses us to do His work on earth. It’s pretty humbling stuff.
How many times do we feel worthless? We feel invisible. We feel walked on and walked over. We feel ignored and forgotten. Today I was talking to someone about my upcoming sermon where I’m talking about how the veil was torn during the crucifixion as a symbol that we can now enter the presence of God through Jesus. As a part of the sermon, I’m talking about the things that keep us from entering the presence of God. She said that from her experience the biggest thing that keeps people from coming to Jesus is that they feel unworthy. They feel as if they need to clean or fix themselves up before they deserve to come before Him. Yet that’s the thing. It’s because of Jesus and what He did on the cross that we are made spotless so that we can come before God.
So if you’re feeling worthless or unworthy. If you’re feeling dirty or less than dirt, just remember that Jesus died for that dirt. Also, know that a long time ago God created beautiful things out of the dust…and He can do the same for you!
The Prodigal Pastor 