More than Dust
The Forty * Convergence Community
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:6–7, NKJV).
“‘Peace to you! As the Father sent me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’” (John 20:21–22, NKJV).
God breathed His own breath of life into man. We are more than “dust” or physical substance. The story speaks of God breathing the Divine breath of life into the man’s nostrils. God, the source of life, breathed life into Adam.
So, what is the breath of God? It is the life and power of God, given to all humanity. The Hebrew word for spirit is ruach, which means “wind, breath, air, spirit.” The life of God lives on and on.
The words typically spoken on Ash Wednesday (and ones our community for years now): “Remember, we are dust, and to dust we will return.” Began to not sit right with me. Yes, it’s important to be reminded of the reality that we all die. Yes, it is absolutely imperative that we are not lulled to sleep by avoiding the reality that life is temporary and precious.
The past few years we have wondered, do only symbols of death (ashes) bring life? Or could we also explore during the forty days of Lent the richness of symbols of life (breathe)?
Remember, we are loved and we are filled with wonder and awe.
Our default setting is to speak of our distance from God. Therefore, we see God as a search for or a journey TO God. I have great problems with this. Distance is not the first story we have. Nearness is. What if instead of distance — our default was shifted to nearness.
What if the dominant language we used was a WITHNESS kind of language? What if we spent 40 days letting go of self-talk that says we are mess-ups, failures, and less than? What if we fasted from expecting the worst in ourselves and each other? What if we smashed the conceptions that we are distant from God? What if we generously gave the grace and dignity to others and ourselves that God has freely and endlessly already given?
A LENTEN PRAYER
Our sights will not be on the dark corners and frayed edges,
rather we will cling to the bright Center.
We will enter the Forty,
. . . AFFIRMING the safe spaces,
so we can see others and ourselves.
. . . LIVING within the unsettled spaces,
that we might be present in the process.
. . . MAKING space for newness,
Knowing that this day in and day out living
reflects the bright restoring by Christ
which leaves us with unveiled faces,
like the promise of springtime,
and the reality of the morning horizon.
