Beautiful dust

 

Luke 4:1-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered him, “It is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.’ ”

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,

to protect you,’

and

‘On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

In the Name of God the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sustainer, Amen

Before we consider today’s gospel, I want to pause for a moment with Ash Wednesday, our entry into Lent.

I want to pause to consider the words spoken as ash is placed on our foreheads:

Remember that you are dust - and to dust you shall return.

It is my hope that remembering that we are dust also takes us to remembering what God did - and does -  with dust.

God created humans out of dust - and invited us to be involved in the stewardship of all creation to work alongside God in caring for the earth and all its creatures.

Remember that you are dust.

God created stars and galaxies out of dust and invited us to take our place in that vast universe.

Remember that you are dust - and to dust you shall return.

And I want to add - and remember the amazing things that God can do with dust.

Jan Richardson puts it like this:

All those days

you felt like dust,

like dirt,

as if all you had to do

was turn your face

toward the wind

and be scattered

to the four corners

or swept away

by the smallest breath

as insubstantial—

did you not know

what the Holy One

can do with dust?

….

So let us be marked

not for sorrow.

And let us be marked

not for shame.

Let us be marked

not for false humility

or for thinking

we are less

than we are

but for claiming

what God can do

within the dust,

within the dirt,

within the stuff

of which the world

is made

and the stars that blaze

in our bones

and the galaxies that spiral

inside the smudge

we bear.

You can find the full text here

Here, this first Sunday of Lent, let us Remember that we are dust - and to dust we shall return.

Remembering the hope and trust that God has in us - and for us-  may help to give us a different lens through which to look at our world today.

A lens that sees power and beauty and strength to be harnessed out of the dust.

And so as we hear today’s gospel, of Jesus in the wilderness, being tempted by the devil, we bear witness to Jesus harnessing the power of dust to vanquish evil.

Jesus refuses to turn stones into bread to satisfy his own hunger, knowing that the bread God provides is the bread of life.

He refuses to assume power by bowing down to evil.

And he refuses to put God to the test by misusing the power that he knows he has.

Jesus withstands the temptations that the devil put in his way - and our gospel ends with these words: When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Evil does not give up.

We know that only too well.

And we, created out of dust, are entrusted to vanquish evil.

To see evil in all its subtle and blatant forms and to harness the power of dust by standing always against evil wherever and however it is encountered.

To seek truth that informs our prayers and our actions.

To refuse to be seduced by media coverage that paints a whole nation as evil but to see the shades of a people whose choices are limited.

This Lent, may we take on rather than give up.

Take on discerning truth so that our prayers and actions are informed by love.

Take on the power and the beauty and the strength that are in the dust by which we are created.

May we take on harnessing the power of dust to stand against evil.

May we take on looking for beauty, even and especially in the rubble of war.

May we take on strength that enables us to hope that we are enough and that God does miraculous things with dust.

We are created out of dust breathed into with love.

And love is stronger than war and stronger than death.

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

And remember the amazing things that God can do with dust.

May it be so. Amen