The phrase “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” is weird. The words feel anachronistic, as if they do not belong in our 21st-century Western world. Honestly, aside from Ash Wednesday, the only time I hear them is when I am watching a British crime drama and the vicar solemnly recites them at a graveside while the murderer lurks in the background. Why would anyone think it would be a good idea to say them in any other context, including while they smudge ashes on my forehead?
Yet on this day in many churches, the remains of last year’s Palm Sunday branches are smeared on skin in the form of a cross. The branches that were once waved while hosannas were sung have been burned to ash. Words are spoken that I need to hear, though they are jarring: “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Or this Latin phrase, Memento mori: remember your death.
All day, every day, I pretty much live as though I am not made of dust. Is it like that for you? Sure, I recognize that I am made of earthy elements like water, muscle, and bone, but though I admit to feeling my age now, I still assume I will just go on like this forever. Well, of course, maybe not forever, but for a good while longer. Surely it is not necessary to be so gloomy, is it? I mean, why would I need to remember my death? Why would you need to?
And while we are talking about those ashes, I confess to being concerned about how that cross will look on my forehead. Will it be pretty? Or will people think I failed to wash my face properly? Yes, even there in the recognition of my ultimate death, I remain concerned about my life, how I look. I do like appearing pious. I do not like looking dirty.
But that just underlines how much I need to hear it: Elyse, remember your death. God’s word says we are dust. However many technological breakthroughs the human race makes, however many medical advances we achieve, that will not change. We are not here forever. Life will end. To use another biblical metaphor, “You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing” (James 4:14, MSG). A wisp of fog? Dust that blows away? Last year’s ashes? That’s me. And that feels weird to think about.
As Lent begins, here is an encouragement: Remember who you are, and remember who he is. Remember that your life is short and that living in line with reality means living in a way that shows you are aware that you too are walking toward a tomb, just as the Lord Jesus did. If you forget—if you let your skewed expectations take up all the space in your heart—you will fail to see him, and you will struggle to grasp what he has done and is doing and will do for you. But when you forget, remember that he still sees you, and that he died for your forgetfulness. It is only as you remember your death that you will learn to glory in his.
This is a lightly edited extract from Friend of Sinners by Elyse Fitzpatrick, used with the permission of The Good Book Company. Elyse is a certified biblical counselor and has written more than 25 books on daily living and the Christian life, including Because He Loves Meand Give Them Grace. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences and lives in Southern California with her husband of over 50 years. They have three adult children and six grandchildren.
Listen (or Watch) our Interview with Elyse Fitzpatrick on SBE here!
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