Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.
Lent is the 40 day period set apart by Christians to remember that Jesus resolutely chose to go to Jerusalem and gave up his life willingly on the cross.
It made him look like a total loser. Those who were the God leaders at that time, who didn’t want to listen to him, said, ‘Now, we’ve got him. He will never cause us any problems again” . He was arrested, tortured, shamed and humiliated, and executed on a cross as a nobody. Others, looking on, would have seen Jesus, and thought, “How can he be from God. Look at him. He’s a failure. He’s nothing. God doesn’t work that way. That’s not what success looks like.’
But in God’s beautiful upside down way, where things are done differently to what we expect, Jesus death was not a tragic, meaningless event. It was for us and for our good. It was Jesus carrying our pain and hurt. He was the sacrifice which takes away the sin of the world. Sin: the stupid, selfish, ignorant hurtful things we have done to others and the stupid, selfish, ignorant or malicious things done to us. Jesus died for us on the cross. That means in the absolute, worst things that happen to us, Jesus says, here, I got you, I’ve got that stuff. Let me take it from you. Let me give you forgiveness. Let me give you peace and help right there. Let me pick you up and get you safely through. You are no longer judged or criticised to death, by God or anyone else. I’ve got new life for you.
In Lent we celebrate far more than the cross. Jesus did not stay a dead loser. Out of the grave something wonderful and totally unexpected happened: Easter. Resurrection. New life that is stronger than death, stronger than evil, stronger than failure and guilt and shame, stronger than having to get everything right or be perfect.
I believe, in God’s crazy, good, upside down way of doing things, that forgiveness is stronger than failure and shame. That God always brings new life and new ways out of things that have died, or stopped working. I believe, right in that place where everything has gone wrong, that God says, “I’ve already started something new and good. You can’t see it, yet. You can’t feel it, yet, but it has already started, and I am never giving up on you.’
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Christians, get marked with ashes or charcoal, and these words are spoken over them. ‘Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return.’ Tough words.
Especially when those words were first spoken in Genesis chapter 3, to Adam and Eve after they had disobeyed God. God said, you are not going to live forever, in disobedience. That would be serious bad news. Your life will come to an end, and you’ve got to learn some humility. I do want you to live forever, in my love, but it’s going to be my way, not your way.
So, we all have times when life is hard. We all will come to an end. We’re not indestructible, and many of you already have scars or broken bones that have reminded you of that. Life is not just one success after another. It’s not the perfect family, the perfect body, the perfect personality, the perfect set of skills, the perfect career. Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.
The sign of the cross, is a powerful reminded that Jesus has done this journey with us and for us. The final word is always Easter, new life, and a good way through that we didn’t expect or see coming.
At times life is hard. But Jesus goes with us. Let a charcoal cross drawn on you be a powerful reminder.
