“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” we say as we bury our dead. Ashes and dust are two powerful Biblical images of our mortality. And now, even as we look forward to Spring when everything comes to life, the church year brings us that same reminder of death– Ash Wednesday. Worshipers go forward on that day to have ashes put on their forehead as a symbol of our future state. Along with the ashes, we hear these words from the first pages of the Bible, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The ashes on the forehead are a graphic reminder of the most significant and certain fact of life, which is, life will end.
Psalm 90 reminds us of the importance of this remembrance: “Teach us to number our days aright, O Lord, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. For you turn us back into dust, Lord, saying ‘return to the dust, oh sons of men.’ And you sweep us away in the sleep of death.” Everyone knows this is how things go. However, our sin may blind us and, for a time, prevent us from seeing the facts of life; persuading us to think we can manage well enough on our own, without God. We may convince ourselves of our own self-importance and self-sufficiency. But no matter how high we rise or how well we do or how important we become, our stories will all end in the very same way– with ‘ashes to ashes and dust to dust.’
It is sobering to see someone who was once really something, be reduced to nothing at all. My friend Art was a self-made millionaire. He was born poor, but worked hard, made the right moves, had some luck, and made it to the top. And Art was a good man. He never lost the common touch, used his wealth to help many folks get their start, and served his community and church well. Art was respected and well-liked by all, and was an important man for many people. The year before Art was to begin his hard-earned retirement, he learned he had cancer. In less than four months Art was dead. In those four months, I watched this man who was really something, be gradually reduced to nothing– sick, weak, and emaciated. Then Art died and was cremated, and all that was left of Art was an urn full of ashes. It was a sad and sobering time. But Art was able to face that bad news because he knew and believed in the good news of Jesus Christ. He bore his illness and approaching death with faith, dignity, courage– and with hope. “Teach us to number our days aright, O Lord, and so apply our hearts to wisdom.”
Art could die with hope because he was able to look beyond the ashes of Ash Wednesday to the Easter message of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and His promise that we too, believing in Him, will rise and live for all eternity. Out of the dust and ashes new life will come. But that message comes as good news only to those who are mindful of the bad news. To one who never gives a thought to the end of life, the promise of resurrection will not come as much needed good news. (continued…)
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Psalm 90:12 — Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
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Dear God, give us peaceful hearts, and a right courage in our strife against death and the devil, so that we may not only endure and finally triumph, but also have peace in the midst of the struggle, praising you and giving you thanks without complaining against your divine will. Let peace rule in our hearts, so that we may never, through impatience, undertake anything against you, our God, or against our fellowman. Rather, may we remain both inwardly and outwardly quiet and peaceable toward God and all people, until the final and eternal peace shall come. Amen.
–Martin Luther
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