Dearest e-votees-
Remember you are dust.
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and to dust you shall return.
Peace,
Karl
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and to dust you shall return.
Peace,
Karl
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8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children,so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:8-14, NRSV
When we impose ashes on Ash Wednesday we remember the curse in the garden. The humans have broken relationship with God and are condemned to return to the dust from which they were formed. God's breath will leave them at some point and their bodies will return to their elemental constituents. On Ash Wednesday we remember our mortality, our separation, our broken ways and the deep sin that grieves us.
In the Psalm above we are reminded that God remembers our dusty ways too. God comes at us with grace and forgiveness when we deserve law and condemnation. Our sins are stripped away from us and moved from as far as one can see one way to the complete other side. God has compassion for us and for all--God's children. God remembers creating us from dust. God remembers where we are headed--particularly when left to our own devices--and leads us out of the dust. If we truly experience this love of God we cannot help but be changed. And if that is so we remember others that are in dusty places, too, and reach out to them as the Lord does to us.
God we are dust. We are your dust. You do good work with the dust. Make us new and draw us to you. Amen.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children,so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
In the Psalm above we are reminded that God remembers our dusty ways too. God comes at us with grace and forgiveness when we deserve law and condemnation. Our sins are stripped away from us and moved from as far as one can see one way to the complete other side. God has compassion for us and for all--God's children. God remembers creating us from dust. God remembers where we are headed--particularly when left to our own devices--and leads us out of the dust. If we truly experience this love of God we cannot help but be changed. And if that is so we remember others that are in dusty places, too, and reach out to them as the Lord does to us.
God we are dust. We are your dust. You do good work with the dust. Make us new and draw us to you. Amen.
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