Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

In addition to St. Valentine’s Day, this coming Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Church also observes Ash Wednesday.

Part of the ritualistic tradition of Ash Wednesday is the application of ashes upon the forehead, to remind you of your mortality (so, if you are looking for a last-minute romantic date idea for your valentine, I recommend getting ashes applied to your forehead together — just kidding, but do still come).

This practice originates from Genesis 3:19 where God says to Adam after he sinned, “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return’” (NIV).

Now some of you might be thinking, why on earth would we want to be reminded of our own mortality? Does it not seem rather callous for the Church to set aside a day of every year to remind people that they are going to die?

The answer to such queries is that a reminder of our mortality, when done appropriately, can actually help us to understand life much better. You see, death, though a terrible thing, helps to contextualize life. Facing the fact that each and every one of us is going to die allows us to consider how we want to live.

Furthermore, reminding ourselves of the reality of death also helps us to see more clearly just what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us through His own death upon the cross and His glorious resurrection three days later.

Thus, for the Christian, to reflect upon death is, in a way, to reflect upon Christ, who defeated death and shares His victory with us who believe (cf. 1 Corinthians 15). As such, reflection on death can actually be a catalyst for life and life eternal when paired with the Gospel message of forgiveness; and so, we proclaim death in order that we may truly discover life.

Pastor Roland Weisbrot is the lead pastor at Victory Lutheran Church