ASH WEDNESDAY
February 17, 2010
the Rev. Ken Kroohs
(Joel2:1-2 & 12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10;Matthew 6:1-6 & 16-21)
REMEMBER YOU ARE DUST
St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, High Point, NC
MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN
Remember you are dust – and to dust you shall return.
Not a very upbeat message. In fact it sounds more like a threat than anything else. Reminds me of the churches who proclaim: “Attend here or you will need asbestos underwear for all eternity!”
Remember you are dust – and to dust you shall return ... That’s not MEANT to be an upbeat message! This is meant more like a slap in the face. Or maybe smacking the side of your computer when it is not working right. It is meant as a wake up call to people who do not want to wake up.
Remember you are dust – and to dust you shall return. – still NOT one of my favorite lines from the Prayer Book. People hear it different ways. Certainly the reminder that we are mortal – that we will die is a very accurate and appropriate way to hear this statement.
It reminds us that, even though we do not like to think about it very much, the time will come when we will “meet our maker”. I have no idea what our judgment day will look like. But I do strongly believe each of us WILL have the “opportunity” to “discuss our lives” with God.
So while we focus on what is happening today .. right here in our lives, it certainly does not hurt to spend a few moments reflecting on that upcoming “conversation”
Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return — The word “dust” actually describes a lot of different materials. I think about a small square table, or maybe a pedestal. What would it look like if we go away for three or four weeks? It would be dusty. It would be covered with the kind of dust you can take a deep breath and blow away.
Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return. I suspect that is the kind of dust this is describing. The light, fluffy dust that scatters easily.
If so, we might want to think about the pedestal we put ourselves on. We might place ourselves on a pedestal because we consider ourselves “good enough” — none of us are so arrogant to say we consider ourselves “great” – or at least not likely to say that out loud. But we consider ourselves “good enough”. Good enough to have that conversation with God. Good enough to not need to change. Good enough so that the reflection on our lives that Lent encourages is simply not needed.
OR — maybe we place our selves on another kind of pedestal. The one that holds us up and shouts to the world – “I am worthless! ... I am no good!” And that pedestal, just like the “good enough” pedestal may not be publicly seen very often. It might be hidden behind our smiles and our regular lives so the outside world doesn’t even know it is there.
Whether we hold ourselves up as “good enough” or “worthless” we are placing ourselves on a pedestal. Standing tall so we can God: “Here I am, take it or leave it!”. Both pedestals are about who we are, and not about God. Both pedestals ignore God’s role in our lives. And whether we stand on those pedestals all of the time or some of the time, we do stand on them.
We stand up tall on our pedestal and then ... we become dust. Dust which just blows away emphasizing how we never should have stood on a pedestal. Emphasizing that all that matters is our connection with God. Emphasizing, in the words of the prophet Micah, we should have stepped off our pedestal and just “walked humbly with our God.”
Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return. ..... One thing this job does is cause you to reflect on funerals, and dying. I remember one situation very clearly. Several years ago I was asked to do a simple grave side service for a man who was not part of this congregation. I wanted to make it a little more personal so I tried to get some information about this man. Finally one person, in a burst of honesty said: “Look, no one liked this guy. No one is sad he is gone.”
Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return? .... What kind of dust will we be? Will we be the kind that, like that man, no one is sad to see go? Or will we be more like a dust that sticks around .. more like gold dust than dirt?
And even as gold dust there are two types. A person can be both. One type, very valuable type, is the “John D. and Katherine T. McArthur’s. I have NO idea who they were!! But they donated money to support activities I support. They made it possible for some activities to continue which might not otherwise be possible. They are remembered – at least by name.
The second type of gold dust is a person who is remembered for more than money. I think about Janet Neal who we named our prayer chain after. Most of you never knew Janet. Those of us who did remember a sweet, kind lady very dedicated to God. You may not know it, but her life is affecting you today because it affected some of us.
Or one of my favorite songs ... it tells a story about a person in heaven who keeps getting greeted by people they do not particularly remember. The person is reminded they taught a Bible study class, led a youth group, worked on an outreach project ---- and touched the lives of many people in a wonderful way. They were gold dust.
Even then, I am reminded of stories of gold prospectors. Some found just a few flakes. Yes, it was gold dust but really not enough to make a difference. Others found enough gold dust to make a difference.
Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return. That’s a given. The question is: What kind of dust?
AMEN
We have previous sermons on our website. To read an earlier recent sermon just enter: www.st-christopher.org/sermon.html.
CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)