What Will You Do with the Dust?
I’m not telling you something you don’t already know. It’s Ash Wednesday.
The United Methodist Church I grew up in – at least to my recollection – didn’t do very much to mark the day. We weren’t high church. Lent wasn’t observed. But wow, could we do Easter.
I then moved into being a full-on inter-denominational evangelical. There was nary a mention of Lent. But Easter…wow.
Post-college and living in a Christian community in Richmond, VA, I slowly started to register that there were 40 days of Lent.
But it wasn’t until I was working at Georgetown University, a Jesuit institution, that Lent began to mean much more. The Jesuits had it all going on: Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. I also made my way to the National Cathedral for various high church services. Wow to the whole of it, and not just Easter.
Ash Wednesday, and the subsequent 40 days following, have taken some time – years really – for me to appreciate. Every year, I wonder if I should “take on” something or “give up” something. There was the year I tried to give up chewing gum (hey, it was a sacrifice), and another year it was ice cream. One year, I decided to take on reading Scripture every day (don’t judge). Another year, I said I would listen to Pray as You Go consistently.
This morning, a poem popped up on my Facebook feed that made me think anew about Ash Wednesday. Jan Richardson poses the question in Blessing the Dust:
Did you not know
what the Holy One
can do with dust?
When the ashes are imposed on my forehead this evening, I will be contemplating what Jesus wants to do with that dust each and every day of Lent. Oh, I may give up something (chocolate is an easy one) or take something on (a daily “virtuous deed” perhaps) but
I will remember that the Holy One is calling me to do something good, maybe even something bold, with the dust of Ash Wednesday.
The ashes will fade and be washed away, but the marking of my devotion will still be there – even if I can’t see the dusty cross in the mirror – reminding me that I have the responsibility to do something. To make a difference. To be a disciple of the One who loves all of us so dearly.
On this Ash Wednesday, may you too be touched with holy dust. What will you do with it?
Photo credit: Annika Gordon @ UpSplash
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Upcoming Webinar: The Greater Northwest Area of the UMC is offering Get Ready for Grants on Feb. 26. It will be repeated on March 11.
Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship – helping with capital campaigns and encouraging more generosity. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise millions of dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations. She wants you to see how the folks at Improv Everywhere delight by letting people kick the game winning goal.
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
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