Of Dust and Gratitude

Remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return

Ash Wednesday Liturgy, Book of Common Prayer

What a sobering thought; “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And how sobering that so soon after the reverie of Christmas, we descend into the ashes of Lent. Again and again, we will be reminded of our mortal nature. Where in such descent can there be cause for gratitude?

Picture what it means to be dust and return to dust. It means that we are created by God from nothing more than dust. And when we leave this mortal earth our bodies return to that dust. We come into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing, other than the promise of what comes next. All that happens in between, all that we become, all that we acquire, all that we experience, is given us in love by God.

So Lent becomes a wonderful gift. It calls us to pause and reflect and be reminded that we live because God created us, that He abundantly supplies for us to carry out His work in creation, and that His son Jesus Christ died that we might have eternal life. What response to such infinite grace could we possibly give but gratitude, particularly reflected in an overwhelming desire to be obedient to God’s purpose for us?

How do we show our gratitude to God? Psalm 51 within the Ash Wednesday Liturgy contains the verses (17 & 18), “Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice; but you take no delight in burnt-offerings. The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

A seminal way in which we demonstrate our dedication to the Source of all that we are and have, is to devote the first ten percent of our time, our talent, and our treasure to God’s work; we tithe. This is not “burnt-offering.” This is our stating “God comes first” through the way we live. God does not need or want anything that we can give Him other than a return of the same unbridled love that He gives us. Our tithing keeps us mindful that all that we have comes from Him.

Lent certainly is a good time to re-examine your ministries and your giving. Lent is a fine time for making new commitments to service by tithing your time and talents through the many ministry opportunities at Christ Church. And it is an appropriate time to consider how you can work towards tithing your treasure, your money. Even if you have already completed a pledge for 2002, it is certainly appropriate to change your pledge to reflect your renewed spirit.