Day 1 - Ash Wednesday: Dust to Dust, Earth to Earth

"By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return." - Genesis 3:19 NLT

These words remind us of our fundamental connection to the earth. Today, on Ash Wednesday, as we begin our journey of prayer and reflection, we are invited to consider not only our relationship with God, but our relationship with creation itself.

In many Anglican Churches – and other traditions too – the use of ashes will play a large part in their traditional Ash Wednesday Service. This simple ritual is designed to share a profound truth: we are not separate from the natural world, but intimately woven into it. We are made from the same elements as the soil beneath our feet, the trees that give us oxygen, the water that sustains all life.

Scripture tells us that God formed humanity from the dust of the ground and breathed life into us. We are earth-creatures, sparked into life by divine breath. Yet how often do we live as though we are disconnected from this earth, as though our actions have no consequence for the intricate web of life that sustains us?

As we are called to ASecludedPlace — a space of honest self-examination - part of that examination must include how we have treated our common home. The ecological crises we face — climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution — are not merely scientific or political issues. They are deeply spiritual matters that reflect our broken relationship with God's creation and, by extension, with God himself.

In the wilderness, Jesus encountered temptation. He fasted, prayed, and emerged equipped. As we enter our own wilderness journey this Lent, what if we allowed the natural world to be one of our teachers? We have the wonderful Go Worship! Go Out! Go Wonder! resource to equip us. This tells us that our experience does not need to be distant or exotic. It might be a corner of a garden, a park bench, or even a window through which we observe the world around us. In these places, we can practice both repentance and renewal. We can grieve the ways humanity has wounded creation. We can commit to living more lightly on the earth.

But this season is not only about sacrifice; it is about resurrection hope. Just as spring follows winter, new life follows death. Creation itself participates in this pattern of dying and rising. The composted remains of autumn leaves become the nutrients for spring growth. Nothing in nature is wasted; everything is transformed.

As we journey from Ash Wednesday toward Easter's promise, then on to the Holy Spirit’s gift of Pentecost, let us remember: the ashes of Ash Wednesday connect us to every living thing. We share one planet, one atmosphere, one sacred home. In our ASecludedPlace this Lent, may we find not isolation but deeper communion — with God, with one another, and with all creation.

From dust we came. To dust we shall return. And in that returning, may we find not an ending, but a beginning.

Neil Chappell