We Are Only Human

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return. ~ Genesis 3:19


Last night we had a wonderful Ash Wednesday worship service. The music was from Taize. Candlelight illuminated the chancel. Time spent in silence restored my soul. It was breathtaking.


The moments that I will treasure most from that service came when the Senior Pastor and I put a small cross of ash and oil on the worshipers foreheads. As I looked into the eyes of those who came forward, my heart smiled at the joy of seeing them. Yet, my heart was also breaking as I said the words, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Repent and believe in the Gospel." 


Ash Wednesday does a good job of reminding us that we are mortal. We are human. We are all in various states of dying. Some closer to death than others. Some realize they are dying; others think they can live forever. Most of us do not want to face the idea of our own deaths. We run from the very idea of it. We shield our children from death, often not allowing them to attend funerals or view an open casket. We as a people are afraid of dying.


As I stood on the steps of the chancel last night placing ashes on the foreheads of the young and the old, my heart was breaking with love for each person I crossed. One woman who has had health problems approached me. As I put the cross on her head and said the words, I wanted to say so much more to her. I wanted to tell her what a witness her faith is to others. I wanted to hug her and tell her how much she means to so many people. I wanted to say thank you for all that she does in this life. And, I silently prayed a selfish prayer to God to keep her healthy and to keep her here. 


Yes, when people die we are sad. Very sad. Our grief can even overwhelm us. Yet, thankfully, because of our faith in Christ, we know that this world is not all that God has for us. Our bodies return to the dust from which we come. But, our spirits, our souls live on with God forever. I admit that I don't know what that looks like and, in some ways, that doesn't even matter. It's the knowing that life goes on after death that matters. Both here and in heaven. Life goes on. Amen.