I got smudged this morning at 7am. I have made it a practice to attend an early service in my area, because evenings are crazy at our house and we typically do not go to an Ash Wednesday Service as a family.
The pastor had a beautiful reflection about how on Ash Wednesday, even with all the cleaning agents we have, dust has its day... how dust is at the center of the universe and a part of our story from the beginning. That we are creatures of the earth given life by the breath of God.
So, I am now dusty.
And I have to tell you that all of this conversation about dust, along with the reading from Joel (2:1-2,12-17), had me thinking of Dr. Seuss's 'Horton Hears A Who.' (Yes, I know, my brain is a scary place to live sometimes...) Well, you know, in the story, Horton the elephant hears a sound from a dust speck. He is trying to save the dust speck because people around him think he is crazy for believing that there is any life on this tiny speck. Horton, however, realizes that an entire community resides on the dust speck, and, well, "a person's a person no matter how small."
When I read or hear the passage in Joel, "blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain..." and so on, I am reminded of how Horton is trying to convince all of the Whos on the dust speck to make noise. They are to make as much noise as they possibly can, because no large being other than Horton can hear them. Joel, like Horton, is inviting all of the inhabitants of the land to turn from what they are doing and focus on God to be saved.
Perhaps, we too, in this season, as dusty as we are, are invited to (re)turn and shout, "We are here! We are here! We are here!" with our whole hearts. Perhaps then, God, whom Joel reminds us "is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love," will continue to heal our hearts and the earth... the dust from which we came and shall return.
Rev. Cindy Garis
Executive Director
Oasis Ministries for Spiritual Development
419 Deerfield Road
Camp Hill, PA 17011
(717) 737-8222
cindygaris@oasismin.org
Explore our transformational programs at www.oasismin.org
Upcoming Events
2010-2011 Program Guide
March 19: The Spiritual Art of Discernment
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March 22: Spirituality for the Second-Half of Life
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April 5: Group Spiritual Direction Training
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April 11-12: 'Living Poetically' with Kent Groff at Kirkridge
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April 29: Poetry As Prayer
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May 2: Exploring Spiritual Direction
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June 10: Annual Merton Retreat Day
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August 21-28, 2011:
Southwest Pilgrimage
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September 18 -25, 2011:
Canadian Canoe Trip
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December 11, 2011:
Oasis Benefit Concert
SAVE THE DATE!
May 13-24, 2012:
Celtic Pilgrimage to Iona
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