"Dust you are and to dust you shall return."  Not the most cheery words ever spoken.  Yet when those words are spoken over you and a cross of ash is made on your forehead to remind you that you belong to Jesus and though you will one day die you will live in him forever, those words take on new meaning.  Ash Wednesday is the begin of our 40 day pilgrimage toward the joyous day of Resurrection.  During these 40 days we journey with Jesus thought the final days of his earthly ministry as he heads to Jerusalem and to a trial and to a bloody cross.  There the sinless Son of God takes all the sin of the world into himself and nails it to a tree.  He pays the price for your salvation and it is finished at his death.  But the empty tomb is coming.  

In the Old Testament when the children of Israel sinned against God and were called to repentance - when they were sorry for their sins - they would sit in the dust and throw the dust on themselves.  They would heap the ashes over their body as a sign of their repentance.  The children of God at Nineveh, when Jonah proclaimed God's anger at them because of their sin, they repented and sat in the dust, and God forgave them.  We, every one of us, has sinned in thought, word and deed.  Look into the mirror of the Ten Commandments and see where you have fallen short.  Ash Wednesday is one day a year but the spirit of this day lives on through Lent and throughout the life of every Christian.  As we daily remember that we are sinful and in need of repentance and God's mercy and forgiveness.  Yes we are dust, we have sinned and we will die, but dear friends we have been forgiven in Christ Jesus who died for you!  He paid the price for your forgiveness.  

If you wish to get ashes on this day to remind you that you are dust and to dust you shall return, but dust that belongs to God in Christ, then by all means go to church and receive the ashes as a sign that you belong to Jesus and you are sorry for your sin and you are forgiven! Recieve those ashes as a sign that you will die with Jesus, but there will be an empty tomb coming for you as well.  For we died with Jesus and we will live with him!  May your journey with Jesus these next 40 days bring you peace and comfort as you live in this dying world of suffering.  Amen

Today's Bible readings are Genesis 1:1-19 and Mark 1:1-13