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Remember That You Are Dust, And To Dust Shall You Return

For nearly a thousand years, these words have been spoken to young and old alike as the sign of the cross is traced on their foreheads with ashes—the Imposition of Ashes, as it has come to be known*. As we mark Ash Wednesday 2014, and as we prepare our hearts for the season, Lent, let us meditate on the theme of the season and draw strength for our “race” to Heaven.
Traditionally, this season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the Christian faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Saviour, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
The Imposition of Ashes puts forward to us two (2) powerful messages none of which we can afford to ignore: Who We Are, and What God Has Done. Looked at from a slightly different perspective, the ash symbolizes our Mortality and our Repentance.

1. WHO WE ARE (Our Mortality)

We will recall that after Adam and Eve eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God says to them - "Dust thou art, and to dust thou shall return."
Dust to dust, ashes to ashes: this is a stark reminder of where we arose from, and where, all other factors being equal, we shall return. We are by nature and deed - a walking, talking, thinking, doing package of dust and ashes.
There is not much value in dust and ashes; basically it is worthless. In fact it is often less than worthless - it is a hindrance and a liability. You can't make it pretty by painting it, or smell good by spraying perfume on it. Dust is dust, ashes are ashes - and the plain fact is they both are largely to be avoided.
And that is us too. When all is said and done – our righteousness is like rags upon us; our virtue is but a spray of perfume upon thoughts and feelings and deeds that are best buried and forgotten.
Therefore, the season reminds us to live a life that is based on God’s love - instead of being motivated by thoughts of human praise or reward; that we try to show a righteousness that is based on His goodness - instead of being motivated by thoughts of demonstrating our virtue.

2. WHAT GOD HAS DONE (Our Repentance)

By receiving the ashes, we acknowledges that God's judgement against our sin is right and just. But the ashes are also made in the sign of the Cross—the very instrument by which our Lord took upon Himself the punishment for our sin, in our place. Thus, the cross of ashes serves to remind us that we are sinners, and that Christ died for us sinners. God has given us a way out of our plight of "ashes to ashes, dust to dust". It is the way of the Cross.
The death of Jesus was God's way of placing a sign of infinite value upon that which would otherwise be worthless. “God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Now that we have been justified by his blood, how much more will we be saved from wrath through him! For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life!” – Rom. 5:8-10 (ISV).
As we journey through the next forty (40) days of Lent, may we find the grace to live for God, recognizing that in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). I’d like to end this piece with the Prayer before the Imposition of Ashes:
Almighty God, from the dust of the earth you have created us. May these ashes be for us a sign of our mortality and penitence, and a reminder that only by your gracious gift are we given eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.

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*The reason an increasing number of our (Anglican) churches and dioceses have stopped the traditional Imposition of Ashes is yet not clear to me. Anyone who has a reasonable explanation for the substitution of ashes with olive (anointing) oil should please share with me.
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