Ash Wednesday

Soil Matters

 

Genesis 2:4b-9

…then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

All this pain I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

                -Gungor, Beautiful Things

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Ash Wednesday, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 254

“Humus” (not to be confused with “Hummus” which is a delightful Middle Eastern dip made with mashed chickpeas) is the Latin word for soil. We use it to refer to that part of the soil that results from the decomposition of organic matter. Interestingly, it’s also the root word for “human.”

We begin the season of Lent with the uncomfortable reminder that we are nothing more than dirt. It’s an uncomfortable reminder because we don’t like to be confronted with our mortality; even more uncomfortable than walking around in public with a cross smudged on our forehead!

But the thing about humus is that it is fertile ground. Out of that rich, black compost, new life can begin to stir. And so we begin the season of Lent with the end in mind.

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

                -Gungor, Beautiful Things