Did You Not Know What the Holy One Can Do with Dust?

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? -Jan Richardson

In Western Christianity, Ash Wednesday marks the start of the season of Lent, which begins 40 days prior to Easter (Sundays are not included in the count). The 40 days of Lent mirror the 40 years that the Israelite people wandered in the wilderness before entering the “promised land,” and the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness before beginning his ministry. We are also doing a lot of “wandering in the wilderness” at UCH and in our communities right now. So, I invite us all to pay careful attention to the movement of the Holy Spirit in coming days.

Lent is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, spiritual practice (such as “giving something up”) and repentance/evaluation (Where do we need to retrace our steps and “turn around?”).  During traditional Ash Wednesday services, the minister will lightly rub the sign of the cross with ashes onto the foreheads of worshipers as a reminder of our mortality and need for this yearly practice. Ashes from the previous year’s Palm Sunday palms are traditionally burned and used. On Zoom, we have learned to be a bit more creative.

Interestingly, the Bible does not mention Ash Wednesday or the custom of Lent since it evolved much later out of Roman Catholic tradition. However, the practice of repentance is mentioned repeatedly by John the Baptist, and Jesus, and the call for repentance. In the New Testament: metanoia: μετάνοια (Greek) and in the First Testament: shub שׁוּב  (Hebrew) are translated as repentance. According to Strong’s these words both mean: “to have a change of mind and heart, to turn back, or to return or retrace our steps.” It is such an important part of our spiritual journey to notice the places we are called to turning around, or retracing our steps; because we all get out in the weeds sometimes. God has gifted us with the spiritual practices of forgiveness, transformation, and repentance so we can find our way back out of the weeds and onto the path. And so, we can find our way home.

This Year our UCH Ash Wednesday service, “Did You Not Know What the Holy One Can Do with Dust?” will take place on March 5, at 6:30 Pacific on Zoom. Join us for a rich time of listening, poetry, and music. We will be participating in a creative visualization of the traditional imposition of ashes, and if you would like, you can impose ashes from a candle or palm leaves you have burned in your home on your forehead or hands. Or you can just come and be in community and out of the chaos for this simple, quiet reflective service about the joys and challenges of being human, and the transformative power of dust.

I look forward to being with you on Ash Wednesday evening as we begin our Lenten journey together. -Rev. Jeanne

Join us on Zoom, or by phone (audio only): (669) 900-6833.