AT THE BEGINNING OF LENT

This Past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. This day reminds us of our mortality by the symbolic act of placing ashes on our forehead; ashes made from last year’s Palm Sunday branches.

Austin is a friend of mine; a pastoral presence down in the York area. He’s always had a passion for Jesus, the Church, and beautiful expressions like music and poetry. Below is a spoken word piece he wrote as a meditation on Ash Wednesday. While it’s meant to be performed and heard, it’s also a beautiful thing to read.

Divine Dirt

Spoken Word/Poem
By Austin R. White

Out from God our world was made
In every atom God’s glory displayed
From a watery desert to rivers of life
A peaceful world made free from strife
Oh how I wish we could have stayed
If only we had just obeyed
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

Soil in Eden teeming with life
Out of mud came man and wife
God stooped and scooped the earth together
Making beautiful people to treasure
Every person, made of sod
Made to bear the image of God
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

Sacred life formed from the earth
Every person of sacred worth
Created by God’s very hand
Made of dust, and clay, and sand
The breath of life in us was breathed
God’s very essence we received
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

There in Eden we were planted
Flourishing life was freely granted
Every creature that was there
Was entrusted to our care
We are called to stewardship
We are made for relationship 
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

Created to create with Christ
God’s presence and God’s love sufficed
But evil lurked and then enticed
Good and evil there to grasp
Fruit that looked too sweet to pass
Something God alone controlled
Wisdom we could not yet hold
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

Planted there with Eve and Adam
Knowledge they could not yet fathom
In this tree a serpent slithered
Lies to make our lives look withered
Tricking us to doubt our nature
And to question our Creator
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

Fruit that bore a deadly thorn
Just. one. bite. and we were torn
Ripped away from our true love
Wandering from our God above
Like heavy clothes, we wore our shame
A choice that caused a world of pain
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

Grasping for a God who was already there
Reaching for a life that we already shared
And now we feel the roots of sin
Slithering to our hearts within
Cunning, painful, sick, and sly
The soil of our hearts made dry
Made to walk but left to crawl
Grasping for glory only to fall
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

God mourned after this bite was taken
A life of love had been forsaken
It changed the way we choose to see
Our God and our humanity…
But still the image of God remained
Even though our sight was changed
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

How could things get any worse
God alone can fix this curse
With faithful love our God pursues us
And makes the promise to renew us
Through a new and better Adam
One who can restore the chasm
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

God in Christ has stooped once more
And touched the dirt just like before
Jesus left his throne above
But not to cast a stone…to love
He bent into the dirt to write
You are forgiven in my sight
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

The serpent struck…our Lord was dead
But Christ arose and crushed its head
Jesus takes us in our sin
And breathes in us his life again
Now we find our life in him
And carry resurrection power within
The power to crush the head of sin 
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

Our world still bears the wounds of sin
But sacred life is there within
God showed us who we’ve always been
A river flows beneath our feet
Bitter waters now made sweet
Here in Christ we are complete
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

Made to love the sacred earth
But yearning for a brand-new birth
Here in Christ, we find our pardon
Re-invited to the garden
To eat fruit from the tree of life
And put an end to sin and strife
Here in Christ, we are made new
The garden never left…it grew
Who are we but Divine Dirt? 

In Christ we are all born anew
To rediscover the life we knew
Awakened to the sacred stream
The world is brighter than it seemed 
With the light of God, we beam 
Our joy restored, our lives redeemed
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

Still, we are just made of dust
Even though the sin is crushed
But what is wrong with being dirt?
Rub it on, it doesn’t hurt
Still the image of God we bear 
8 billion people filled with God’s air 
Alive with glory…in life we share
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

Look around with childlike wonder
In Fall and Winter, Spring and Summer
All the world is drenched with God
This love is in your neighbor’s sod
By God’s grace we see God’s glory
Shine through every person’s story
Who are we but Divine Dirt?

From the dust we have been formed 
And to dust we will return
Until then we join Christ’s mission
To reverse our world’s condition
With ourselves this mission starts
To tend the gardens of our hearts
This fruit of life can grow in us
And help us love our neighbor’s dust
Who are we but Divine Dirt?