Remember That You Are Dust
A Sermon by the Reverend Shearon Sykes Williams on Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
In just a few minutes, you will be invited to come forward and we will make the sign of the cross on your foreheads, one by one, saying:
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
In the second story of creation in Genesis, God forms man from the dust of the ground and breathes life into him. And then God plants a garden for the man to till and to enjoy. The man is meant to be fruitful and live in harmony with God and all of creation. Everything is perfect, but that idyllic situation does not last long. Man thwarts God’s intentions, and becomes alienated from God. And ever since, mankind has been striving to get back to the garden, paradise lost.
We know that all is not right with us and with the world and the ancient wisdom embodied in the Ash Wednesday liturgy really helps us to name it. We are reminded today about the importance of humility. Humility is not about lack of self-esteem. God wants us to feel good about ourselves. All of us are made in God’s image and are worthy of love and respect. Humility means “from the earth” or “grounded”. And that understanding is the key to being restored to right relationship to God, to other people and to our authentic selves. When we are marked with ashes today, we are reminded that God breathed life into the first human beings and that God breathes life into each of us. We also are reminded that we come from the earth and we will return to the earth when we die. We are not ultimately our own masters. And being aware that we are going to die one day is a good thing. It puts everything into perspective. Life is a gift from God and what we do with that gift really matters, each and every day.
After we receive the ashes, we will pray the Litany of Penitence, acknowledging the many ways we have failed to honor God’s image in ourselves, in others and in creation. We ask God’s forgiveness and then we are called to do something about the things we have confessed. We are meant to commit to a spiritual practice that will help us live differently going forward. And less is more. Wherever we are in our spiritual lives is where we are. Start from there. If you aren’t in the habit of coming to church regularly, make that your Lenten discipline. Just that and nothing else. Come to church every Sunday between now and Easter. Don’t think past the next 6 weeks. If you are already coming to church, commit to praying each day. Take the prayer list home today. Pray for each of these people by name, even if you don’t know them. It makes a difference. It will change them and it will change you. Add the people in your life to the list, the people you love and the people you really struggle with, especially the people you struggle with. It may change them in surprising ways, but most importantly, it will change you.
If you are already coming to church and praying every day, think about one particular thing that you know is not good for your spiritual health and decide what practice will help you invite God’s action into your life to address it. If you know you complain too much, ask God to help you to give up complaining, not forever, just for 6 weeks. If you know you criticize others too much, give up criticism, just for 6 weeks. If you tend to think only about your needs or the needs of those closest to you, volunteer in our food pantry at lunchtime on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays. If you aren’t staying in contact with a family member, decide you are going to call them once a week, and ask God to bless the call before you make it. If you are burdened by the ongoing destruction of creation, commit to reducing the amount of plastic that you use every day. If you are worried about gun violence, make it your practice to advocate for change through the Episcopal Public Policy Network. These things all sound so simple, and they are, in concept. But they can be very difficult to actually put into practice.
Today is about penitence. Today is about confession. And today is about committing to just one practice that will bring us back home to God, to others and to ourselves. And we remember that as we put one foot in front of the other, making mistakes and trying again, we do that knowing that God is infinitely gracious and loving and far more eager to forgive than we are to forgive ourselves.