Inspired by 1
Corinthians 15:42b-49
“Just as we have borne
the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of
heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:49
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall
return. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes,
dust to dust. These words that are heard
on Ash Wednesday and at burials of the dead respectively remind us that we are
creations, given the gift of life by the Creator but possessing nothing of our
own. Our bodies were born of earthly
elements, they are tied to the earth, and they will return to the earth.
But because of the grace of God through Jesus Christ, we are
more than our bodies. Jesus Christ, Son
of God, became flesh and lived as a human being. His body was born of earthly elements, and it
was tied to the earth. He experienced
pain and pleasure, hunger and satisfaction, exhaustion and contentment, just as
we do. When he was nailed to the cross,
he suffered as much as the two very human thieves on the crosses next to him suffered,
as much as any of us would suffer. But
when he died, though he was buried in a tomb, he did not return to the earth. He was raised, body and spirit, and through
the power of his resurrection we are promised the same.
This life is not all there is. Dust is not all we have to look forward
to. God in Christ broke into the human,
earthly world, and proclaimed that his kingdom is at hand. We have his grace now, and we can live beyond
the limits that the mere dust we were made from would suggest; we are children
of God, and we are heirs with Christ of the kingdom of heaven.
Let us pray. Lord of
heaven and earth, you sent your Son to be one of us. Comfort us with the knowledge of your
presence with us, that we may live fully today and have no fear of
tomorrow. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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