Genesis 1:1-19
Today is Ash Wednesday. And so I suppose that I should say to you, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” Now what does it mean to remember our “dustiness?” Well, this is nothing other than a call to remember that we are creatures. Creatures formed from the dust. But even more than that--to remember your “dustiness” is to remember where that dust originated. Our text for this morning spells it out for us quite succinctly.
In the beginning, we are told, God creates everything from nothing. The phrase “heavens and earth” mean everything. God doesn’t stumble upon some eternal cosmic ball of particles and matter and decide to get creative. Nothing compels him. Nothing forces his hand. He creates the heavens and the earth because he wants to. Nothing--not even the dust that he will later use to form the man--nothing exists apart from his desire to bring it into existence. Everything in the heavens and the earth is there because God willed it to be.
That’s what it fundamentally means to remember that you are dust. To remember that every dusty molecule and particle of your being exists because God willed it to. He is the Creator. And you are a creature. And as a creature you are completely dependent. You are not self-sustaining. You are not free to do whatever you want. Creatures don’t call the shots.
That’s what the man and the woman--that original pair of dusty creatures--forgot. And that’s what the dusty creatures sitting in this room forget as well. We hate it when God’s law places a demand or a duty upon us. We try to close our ears so we can’t hear it. We try to rationalize it away so it doesn’t apply to our situation. We soften it to the point where it no longer stings our conscience and no longer interferes with the way that we want to speak, and live, and act. We try everything in our power to forget that we are creatures. To forget that we are dust. To forget that our Creator has a claim upon us. To forget that we are under an obligation.
And so that’s why we must be reminded.
But as you remember and contemplate your dustiness. As you face the fact that you are a creature who owes its entire existence and fear and love and trust to its Creator. As you come to grips with the truth that you don’t honor those duties very well. I also want you to remember that you are not simply a dusty creature, but you are a baptized creature as well. And in that baptism, your Creator spoke a promise to you.
He said to you, “I see that you are dust. I see that one day to dust you will return. But right now I’m writing my name on you. I’m reasserting my claim over this dust. Because one day--after it has all fallen apart and returned to the ground. One day, I’m going to reach down and I’m going to raise it up. I’m going to make you new. I did it once before, in the beginning. And I can do it again--in the new beginning. Because I’m the Creator. Because it’s my dust. I can do want I want with it. And this is what I want to do. This is what I promise to do.”
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