Ash Wednesday at Fourth United Presbyterian

Thanks to all who came and worshipped with us last night at Fourth United Presbyterian. We had many members of Central United Methodist with us and also members of our church and Lonsdale United Methodist as well. The choir of 4th United Presbyterian led by our church musician, David Turk, was a real blessing to all.

We appreciated music from Central United Methodist and are grateful for the preaching of Rev. Aldana Allen of Lonsdale United Methodist Church and Rev. Bruce
Galyon of Central United Methodist Church.

We came forward to the table for the "imposition of ashes." As the traditional Ash Wednesday saying goes: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Certainly a sobering message, this solemn reminder of our mortality. You would think we wouldn't need to be reminded about that since we are surrounded by reminders of the fragility of human life and live daily with memories of loved ones who have died.

And, maybe it is not that we forget about our mortality, but maybe the problem is that we don't remember it in the right context often enough, and that is in the context of worship and reverence and trust in God. Those words: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" spoken in the midst of holy worship convey a sense of the dignity and meaning of being human. Outside the context of worship and reverent trust in God those words might be taken as demeaning.

It makes me think of other sayings of the Church that might make good and holy sense in worship, but be very confusing and perhaps badly misunderstood outside the experience of the sacred worship. When we move into the world with our traditional sayings and beliefs, we need to be able to translate them so that we explain what this saying means in faith. For example, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." It is a sobering reminder that we are creatures and that we are dependent in all things on our Holy Creator. It is assurance that God knows our human frame and how fragile this existence is. It is also a confession of how difficult the burdens of life can be - a confession made to One who has taken on human flesh and who has borne the burdens of human life, even the burdens of humiliation and wrongful execution. "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." We are not immortal on this earth; we are mortal. Let me say that again: "We are not immortal; we are mortal." We do not survive death because of the immortality of our souls. We die, and we believe that we will be raised up to new life because of the mercy and grace of the one who is immortal, our Creator God. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection from the dead." That is what we say at the graveside. Our hope is in our Creator God, the God who raises the dead.