Joel 2:12-19/2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10/St Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Remember, O man, thou art dust and unto dust shall thou return. It both a threat and a promise. That is to say, it is both Law and Gospel. It strikes terror in the heart and mind, yet enclosed in it is a tacit promise and grace.
Thou art dust was first spoken by our Lord that dreadful day of mankind’s rebellion. In the Garden man sought to usurp God. In lust and disdain, the creation rejected its Creator. Man ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and in doing so consumed the very poison of his demise. For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust and to dust you shall return (Gen 3:19).
Terrifying words! Especially when we consider the curse pronounced upon the serpent, that wily devil, On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life (Gen 3:14).
You are dust and shall return to dust. Satan devours dust. Hence St Peter’s admonition, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pt 5:8). Lent reminds us that we have an enemy who is intent on devouring us.
And as we are watching, as we are looking out before us, we have at our backs that cold breath of death. The grave looms large, seeking to swallow us up; to return us to the dust. And sooner or later - if Christ does not return first - you will go back to the dust from whence our Lord took us. Death. We attempt to hide from it, out run it, ignore it, play games with it. But in the end there is no playing games, no hiding. It tracks you down and squeezes the last bit of life from you. And your breathless clay returns to the dust.
And so this day. Ash Wednesday. A reminder. Remember, O man, that thou are dust and to dust shall thou return. The black ash marks you; the walking dead. You see it on the face of your neighbor, your friend, your child. And it preaches to you. It proclaims the reality we try to hide, but cannot escape: “I am dying.”
If this were all this day is about, how sad and pitiable indeed! But this is not all. Oh, no! His Word to us is both Law and Gospel. He kills in order to make alive. He wounds that He may heal. And those ashes on your forehead are in the shape of a Cross. The Cross of Him, who in love for you, trampled the head of the serpent. The Holy One, the Immortal Son of the Father, took upon Himself your dust, your death. In dying He allowed Himself to be devoured by death, that weapon of Satan. And in rising to life again He destroyed the power of death and he who wielded its power. He has conquered hell and the grave. And turns Satan’s own weapon against him.
It is written, The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people (Ps 113:4-8).
And so He has done for you. He stooped down into the dust and filth of your sin, taking upon Himself all that brings you down to the grave. He owned it all. The idolatry, cursing, disregarding of God’s Word, dishonoring of your parents and other authorities, every hateful word and deed, all your sexual sins, your laziness and stealing, your lying words, your never being content with God’s gifts and seeking happiness in what He has not given - all of that. He took it. Made it His own. And bore it to death on the Tree. It has no hold on you. Not now. Not anymore. You have been set free from the curse of death. By His death. By His Blood.
You are dust and shall return to dust. But now, through the waters of Holy Baptism, in the washing of His Spirit, you belong to Christ and shall return to Christ. This is His promise: He who formed you from the dust shall, at the last, raise your dusty bodies and put on them immortality. You shall be imperishable, even as He is imperishable.
And even now He gives to you the fruit of His Tree, the antidote to the devil’s poison, the true grain offering and drink offering, His own Body and Blood back out of the grave to life, distributed to you here for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, for endurance under temptation and sorrow. His Cross marks you. His life is put into you. Death has no claim on you. You belong to Christ.
And this all begins as Lent begins: with a return to Him, to His compassion and love; for He has, in fact, sought you out and come to you. You heard it from Joel: Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; the Lord had pity on His people. You also heard it from St Peter: He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
And so it is that, by and from and in Him, you practice your righteousness; not to be seen by men, but before your Father who is in heaven. You practice your righteousness - your fasting, prayer, and almsgiving; making every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
These are neither a laying up of treasure either here on earth nor in heaven. You do not trust in them. They are works of charity and love done for your neighbor. Your love is not for your conscience’s sake, nor for your heart. Your love, your charity, your alms are for your neighbor. Christ is for your conscience and heart. And He loves you. And in Him your heart has but one treasure, even He who is the ground and reward of faith, who has given His righteousness to you. You are dust and shall return to dust. But you also are Christ’s and shall return to Christ.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
Remember, O man, thou art dust and unto dust shall thou return. It both a threat and a promise. That is to say, it is both Law and Gospel. It strikes terror in the heart and mind, yet enclosed in it is a tacit promise and grace.
Thou art dust was first spoken by our Lord that dreadful day of mankind’s rebellion. In the Garden man sought to usurp God. In lust and disdain, the creation rejected its Creator. Man ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and in doing so consumed the very poison of his demise. For in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust and to dust you shall return (Gen 3:19).
Terrifying words! Especially when we consider the curse pronounced upon the serpent, that wily devil, On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life (Gen 3:14).
You are dust and shall return to dust. Satan devours dust. Hence St Peter’s admonition, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pt 5:8). Lent reminds us that we have an enemy who is intent on devouring us.
And as we are watching, as we are looking out before us, we have at our backs that cold breath of death. The grave looms large, seeking to swallow us up; to return us to the dust. And sooner or later - if Christ does not return first - you will go back to the dust from whence our Lord took us. Death. We attempt to hide from it, out run it, ignore it, play games with it. But in the end there is no playing games, no hiding. It tracks you down and squeezes the last bit of life from you. And your breathless clay returns to the dust.
And so this day. Ash Wednesday. A reminder. Remember, O man, that thou are dust and to dust shall thou return. The black ash marks you; the walking dead. You see it on the face of your neighbor, your friend, your child. And it preaches to you. It proclaims the reality we try to hide, but cannot escape: “I am dying.”
If this were all this day is about, how sad and pitiable indeed! But this is not all. Oh, no! His Word to us is both Law and Gospel. He kills in order to make alive. He wounds that He may heal. And those ashes on your forehead are in the shape of a Cross. The Cross of Him, who in love for you, trampled the head of the serpent. The Holy One, the Immortal Son of the Father, took upon Himself your dust, your death. In dying He allowed Himself to be devoured by death, that weapon of Satan. And in rising to life again He destroyed the power of death and he who wielded its power. He has conquered hell and the grave. And turns Satan’s own weapon against him.
It is written, The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people (Ps 113:4-8).
And so He has done for you. He stooped down into the dust and filth of your sin, taking upon Himself all that brings you down to the grave. He owned it all. The idolatry, cursing, disregarding of God’s Word, dishonoring of your parents and other authorities, every hateful word and deed, all your sexual sins, your laziness and stealing, your lying words, your never being content with God’s gifts and seeking happiness in what He has not given - all of that. He took it. Made it His own. And bore it to death on the Tree. It has no hold on you. Not now. Not anymore. You have been set free from the curse of death. By His death. By His Blood.
You are dust and shall return to dust. But now, through the waters of Holy Baptism, in the washing of His Spirit, you belong to Christ and shall return to Christ. This is His promise: He who formed you from the dust shall, at the last, raise your dusty bodies and put on them immortality. You shall be imperishable, even as He is imperishable.
And even now He gives to you the fruit of His Tree, the antidote to the devil’s poison, the true grain offering and drink offering, His own Body and Blood back out of the grave to life, distributed to you here for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, for endurance under temptation and sorrow. His Cross marks you. His life is put into you. Death has no claim on you. You belong to Christ.
And this all begins as Lent begins: with a return to Him, to His compassion and love; for He has, in fact, sought you out and come to you. You heard it from Joel: Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; the Lord had pity on His people. You also heard it from St Peter: He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
And so it is that, by and from and in Him, you practice your righteousness; not to be seen by men, but before your Father who is in heaven. You practice your righteousness - your fasting, prayer, and almsgiving; making every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
These are neither a laying up of treasure either here on earth nor in heaven. You do not trust in them. They are works of charity and love done for your neighbor. Your love is not for your conscience’s sake, nor for your heart. Your love, your charity, your alms are for your neighbor. Christ is for your conscience and heart. And He loves you. And in Him your heart has but one treasure, even He who is the ground and reward of faith, who has given His righteousness to you. You are dust and shall return to dust. But you also are Christ’s and shall return to Christ.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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