By 
Remember!
It approaches quietly;
a slight warmth under the breeze,
the tinge of green washed over where brown has lain,
swirling flocks of birds, compelled to a new destination,
planning, planting, plotting dreams of dirt, filled with blooms and berries.
Spring. Just the word conjures visions of brightness and hope, warmth and blue skies. Spring brings a lightness to our step as we follow a path that leads us to Easter, the ultimate celebration of life, goodness, and victory.
But before we get to Easter, historically the western Christian church has observed a time we call “Lenten”. Lenten is translated from an Old English word meaning Springtime. Forty-six days before Easter Sunday, Lent commences on the Day of Ashes, or Ash Wednesday.
This event is usually observed in a quiet, solemn service with ample time to consider the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in light of Christians’ sinfulness and mortality. A time of reflection and confession with a sorrowful demeanor is followed by a ceremony during which a cross is drawn on the believer’s forehead in ash. Traditionally the ash was obtained from burning the palms used the previous week to celebrate Palm Sunday. This day marks the beginning of 40 days of fasting, a time during which differing stipulations dictate what, how much, and to what extent the fast is observed.
While this tradition is rich and meaningful, it is not commonly practiced in evangelical churches today. But the spirit and the impetus behind it should not be lost, even if we choose not to follow the tradition.
Each element draws us into this story of grace and redemption, beginning in the first garden and the soil of its foundation: then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature (Genesis 2:7, ESV).
“Maybe we missed it—what God showed us when he first introduced himself: that he will crawl into the dirt to be near us, and he will fill our lungs with air when we don’t know how to breathe.” —“Nightbirde: How can it be ok?”, TGC article by Angela Davis, 6/26/2021
God gets down on the ground and uses its dust to form man. With His own breath He brings life to man. Imagine the Creator, the God of the universe, THE GOD, stooping down to blow on some dust He had piled up, thus beginning an incredible love story. It is mind blowing!
Reflecting on this gracious gift of life given to each of us, mindful of our sinfulness and ingratitude, should bring us to our knees, prostrate us before our Heavenly Father, and lead us to confession as we seek His face of forgiveness.
Chuck DeGroat, in his book Falling into Goodness writes: “On the ground and in the dust there is no facade. No more hiding. Only rest. And it’s where Jesus can find you. Jesus came down, you see. To the dust. In the flesh…“Come to me, all you who are weary,” Jesus says. “Not up there…down here!”
Palms that so enthusiastically welcomed our Lord to Jerusalem with cries of “Save us now!”, a week later are burned into ash as the crowd’s fickle hearts and mouths shout “Crucify Him!” Ash, used to scribe a cross on a sinner’s forehead, is a vibrant portrayal of our inability to be saved without Him.
Ezekiel 9:4 (ESV) concurs: And the LORD said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”
The 40 days of fasting (46 days of Lent minus Sundays) represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness as He began His ministry, fasting and being tempted by Satan. While abstaining from meat or Starbucks or Instagram pales in comparison to what Jesus endured, the intentional forgoing of comforts and pleasures for this season to make room for Jesus seems entirely appropriate. Should we fill that emptiness with Him, it becomes an act of worship.
“Alas! and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.
But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
’Tis all that I can do.”
—“Alas and Did My Savior Bleed” by Issac Watts, 1707
This time of remembrance, repentance, and reflection draws us back to the ground, to the place where we first met God. A place of rest.
Genesis 3:19 (ESV): “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Nanette Smith
A transplanted Texan, Nanette Smith spent most of her life in western Pennsylvania where she and her husband Tom raised their 6 children. When not homeschooling her children or helping her husband run his construction business, Nanette volunteered with Samaritan’s purse, crisis pregnancy centers, and served as Women’s Ministry Director. In 2013 God moved Nanette and her family to Texas and she attended her first Womenary class in 2016. Currently Nanette works as the Missions Coordinator at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, TX. When not working or playing with one of her 11 grandchildren, Nanette enjoys reading, writing, photography and baking. 
