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On Ash Wednesday, I will be marked with ashes. I will remember that in ancient times, in the absence of soap, ashes – both absorbent and antibacterial, like hand sanitizer – were used to cleanse. I will remember that gardeners use ashes, full of rich mineral content, to amend the soil, and I will sing and pray, “Lord, let my heart be good soil” (ELW 512). I will remember how new life, new growth and new beauty can emerge from ashes.
I will listen for the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” I hope I will not be tempted to shake off the dust or find it worthless. I seek to hold to the promise that God gives life to dust. God makes such amazing things out of dust – stars, planets, humans – and God continues to transform, create and re-create using that starry, earthy dust.
This message is excerpted from “Marked by Ash Wednesday” by Karen G. Bockelman in the January/February 2021 Gather magazine.