Ash Wednesday has always been a bit of a puzzle to me. Growing up at FAC, it wasn’t a part of our regular church rhythm until recently, so I never spent time thinking about its significance in the church calendar. I remember hearing that it was the beginning of Lent, which meant I would probably give up something I loved for 40 days because everyone else was doing it (I once tried to give up broccoli, and my Mum wouldn’t hear of it). I also knew that the day before was called “Shrove Tuesday,” which, for some strange reason, meant that we got to have pancakes for dinner. But beyond that … I hadn’t given it much thought.
A few years ago, I was invited to participate in the FAC Ash Wednesday service by administering the ashes on each person’s forehead. Until this point, it hadn’t really mattered that I didn’t totally understand Ash Wednesday. Now, it felt like I should probably learn something about if I was going to be the one drawing ashen crosses on peoples’ foreheads and saying, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19).
As I researched, all that I read made sense, but it hadn’t really connected with me on a personal note. It felt like I understood it in my head, but it didn’t have much significance for me in my heart … And usually, when that happens, it’s God’s invitation to me to ask Him what He thinks about it. So I did … I asked God, “Why are these ashes so significant? Why do we have to remember that we are dust, and will return to dust? Why is it good for us to acknowledge our own mortality?”
Suddenly, a wave of thoughts hit me – I call this a “download” from God. As an external processor, I often find myself scrambling to grab a pen and paper to write down my thoughts so that I can actually think about them (external processors understand!) when this happens.
So, what was God’s answer? Why do we pause to remember our mortality on Ash Wednesday?
Part of it is because we are prone to forgetting ourselves. God said, “You are dust, and to dust you shall return,” to Adam and Eve after they had been deceived and believed the serpent who said, “You will be like God.” (Genesis 3:5). What they forgot was that they already were like God – they had been made in His image, as His children … they just lost sight of it. Instead of being content with being his dearly loved children made beautiful in His image, they wanted to be equal with Him.
Sin entered the story, and the world was never the same after that. They came from dust, and they would return to the dust.
Why do we remember this each year?
Because we can’t appreciate our Saviour if we don’t remember what He has saved us from. Adam came from dust, and the Lord “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7). When Adam and Eve believed the lie of the enemy, they lost sight of the fact that they had been made in the image of God. As he so often does, the enemy made them believe that they weren’t created in the image of God – that they needed something else to be like God. Adam and Eve forgot that God had breathed His very life into them so that they were no longer dust, but living beings! When sin entered the story, that abundant life was changed. It was broken. Instead of living forever with God in the garden, they would one day return to the dust. They were dust, and they would return to dust.
And we are dust in need of a Saviour to breathe life into us.
Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). A full life … the kind of life God breathed into Adam’s nostrils in the very beginning! Jesus is making everything new, breathing life into His creation again. If we don’t remember what we are saved from, we can’t celebrate the amazing work of our Saviour, Jesus, at work in our lives today.
Sometimes I think about the first 30 years of Jesus’ life. He worked with Joseph as a carpenter and was probably covered in sawdust.
How amazing that the only begotten Son of God, who was and is and is to come, took on dust for us.
The Creator covered in creation.
“He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4).
We saw Him covered in that dust – the sin of all humanity – and thought HE was the one who had done wrong. We thought HE was being punished. We were so blinded by ourselves that we couldn’t see that it was OUR dust, OUR humanity that covered Him.
“The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6).
We remember that from dust we came, and to dust we will return because we need to. We need to remember our humanity in light of His holiness. We need to remember the sacrifice of the Creator entering creation, and taking on our iniquities.
And so we pause. We take time, and we remember.
From dust we came, and to dust we will return. (Genesis 3:19).
Written by Rosalind Coben, Online Campus Associate Pastor & Social Media
Want to experience Ash Wednesday? Join us for a time of reflection and repentance on March 5, 2025, at 7:15 pm in the Harvest Rooms at the FAC Deerfoot location (12345 40 Street SE).
You might also be interested in …
- “Ash Wednesday Thoughts” blog post (February 2021)
- “Ash Wednesday & Interstellar” blog post (February 2018)
