Dust to Dust
Dust to Dust.
Dust shows up in the Bible 100 times. The first is in Genesis 2:7. “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”
We were made from dust and to dust we will return. This is the central theme of Ash Wednesday. The entire season of Lent can be framed with this same phrase. We are frail, temporary, transient. Life is fleeting like a mist or a vapor. Dust to dust.
And of course – we are sin-full.
One of the preparations for Passover is to remove all yeast from the home. This command is found in Exodus 12:15. “For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.”
To comply with this command, Jewish families thoroughly cleaned the entire home to remove all traces of bread, pastries, crackers, and anything containing yeast.
This process involves a deep clean of every nook and cranny in the house, including cupboards, appliances, counter tops, floors, and even furniture crevices.
In Jewish tradition, a feather is used to sweep up crumbs. The feather sweeps crumbs into a spoon.
The spoon scoops the crumbs into a paper bag.
The paper bag is thrown away – or burned.
Yeast in the Bible represents sin.
When I learned about the feather used to sweep crumbs of yeast, I thought about all the dust in my home. I wondered, would a feather help get in every nook and cranny. The feather might be particularly helpful in small crevices. Or with the window blinds.
A feather duster. Leave no sin behind.
Did you know that between 20-40% of the dust in our homes is skin? We leave little pieces of ourselves behind. Dust to dust.
The feather is also a symbolic tool representing the spiritual process of self-reflection. I hope you are self-reflecting right now – connecting the dots between yeast, dust, sin, and Jesus.
We grieve the sin in our lives. One way to show our grief is to sit in dust and ashes. This reminds us of our true condition. It is also a mark of repentance.
Of course, another central theme of Ash Wednesday – and the season of Lent – is that our real hope in our dusty lives is in Jesus. We can never account for every last crumb of sin – so Jesus took care of it for us.
In Jesus there is forgiveness. “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” Acts 13:38.
Dust to dust. We still find hope. In Jesus.
May the Lord be with you,
Pastor Kent
Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
