Tonight, I experienced my very first Ash Wednesday service. Before attending, I was not sure exactly what to expect, what things would represent, or if I would even get anything out of it/be able to give anything to God during the service. The following stems from tonight’s service.
Dirt. We are made from dirt. From ashes we come and to ashes we will return, says the Word. Dirt. Gross. Dirty. Yet, beautiful. Yes, we are made from dirt: lowly, dirty, germy, and ugly. Yet, at the same time, God says that He made us in a wonderful manner. God created us as beautiful beings–capable of many things. Out of our lyrnx may come shouts of praise and beautiful song, or kind words, or the Great News. Our arms give and share and hug and comfort in Christ’s name. Our feet take us to places where people need to know that there is Someone who loves and cares about them. Our eyes take in the splendor of God’s creation. Our brains operate all extremities and organs. All of this is made out of (yes, you guessed it) dirt. Whether this is meant figuratively or metaphorically, our physical bodies come from nothingness and will indeed return to nothingness one day.
In the mean time, however, we get to express the Beauty of God.