A Meditation
for Ash Wednesday – On Our Way to
Easter
By Dr. G.
Byrns Coleman
Dirt!
Black fine dust!
Ashes!
The ground we walk
on!
A reminder –
We belong to God
God made us from dust of the
ground
God breathed into us the
breath of life
We became a living
soul!
A reminder
–
Our sins
Our willful rebellion against
God
Black as the dirt that
reminds us!
A reminder
–
Mortality!
Bluntly –
death.
Ours.
From dust to dust.
So much in those little clay
bowls.
Looks like only so much
black, powdery ash
But, it declares
loudly
A theology of
life.
Creation – God love
us
Sin – Even now God still
loves us
Recreation – Love in a
Cross and resurrection.
It’s Ash
Wednesday.
The congregation marches
forth with slow step and repentant heart
They receive the ashes on
their forehead, a smear this way and
that
A Cross
With the words from the
preacher: “You’re a creature of
God!”
“God loves
you!”
Suddenly, the Lenten journey
begins
But . . . it begins knowing
full well the Victory of EASTER
Knowing full well that God
loves us
The smear
The reminder
Creation . . . Sin . . . but
LOVE that will not let us go!
We will look at the Bible
passages that picture Jesus with his
face
Set like a flint, on the road
to Jerusalem
Blind Bartimaeus, “Son
of David, Have mercy on me!”
In the Upper Room, “Take
Eat, this is my body . . .”
Judas slipping away into the
night – betrayal!
Agony of
Gethsemane!
The horrors of the
crucifixion
“My God, My God, why
hast Thou forsaken me?”
“It is finished! Into
Thy hands, I commend my Spirit.”
We will understand the dark
journey to Calvary better.
Perhaps!
But, we will have gone the
whole way already knowing Victory.
The Angel –
“He’s not here, he’s risen, go tell
his disciples.”
The 2 on the Road to Emmaus
– “Did not our hearts burn within us . .
.”
Thomas – “My Lord
and my God.”
Peter – “Lord, you
know that I love you!”
JESUS – “You will
be my witnesses . . .”
“Go into all the world
and preach the Gospel to every
creature.”
ASH WEDNESDAY – a
holy time, for sure!
Dirt, ashes, ground we walk
on – that’s us!! But, we’re so much
more!
We’re creatures of
God
We’re “breathed
into” with His life-giving breath
We’re ones for whom
Christ died!
Amen! Hallelujah! So
let it be!
About the
Author
G. Byrns Coleman is Professor
of Religion and Chair of Department of Religion
& Philosophy, Wingate
University, Wingate, NC
. He is also a member of Wingate
Baptist Church
..
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