Popular Searches
God of dirt, sweat, and tears,Walk with us in our pain,Show us the way.Heal our wounds,Open our hearts,Show us how to be love.
Amen.
On Ash Wednesday, we hear a refrain that echoes out of the creation stories in Genesis, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It is a reminder of both our mortality and our deep interconnection with the whole of creation, a reminder that is especially important in our modern reality where we are so disconnected from our more-than-human neighbors in creation and from the soils and waters, which feed and nourish us. In our busy lives, where it is all too easy to stay in our separate silos than to take a look or a step outside, we need this reminder of our earthiness. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we adjusted our liturgical language and were bold enough to say, “Remember that you are earth, and to earth you shall return.” Would that help us begin to reshape our mindset toward the world around us? Would that help us begin to see the connections we have lost with the earth beneath our feet?
The creation accounts in Genesis tell us we are formed from the same adamah as the other living beings created by God, and science confirms that we are made of the same stuff as the trees and birds and the soils beneath us. We share more in common with the rest of creation than we are often willing to admit, and science is helping us see the complexity and interconnection of life around us. There are chemical benefits within our bodies when we come into direct contact with soil. You could even say we are being reconnected to a part of ourselves when we get a little dirt under our nails.
Lent is a season where we can be quick to talk about what we are giving up, but what if we leaned into slowing down and looking outside for what creation might help us reflect on during Lent? What if we found something outside to help focus our attention and intention during Lent? Even something as simple as finding a tree to pray or read beneath as a small reminder that we are earth and will one day return fully to the earth. As we are reminded that we are dust and will return to dust, may this also be a reminder of our interconnection with our more-than-human neighbors.
This piece is part of the Farminary Lenten Reflection Series. Each week throughout the 2026 Lenten season, alumni of The Farminary Project will share a personal reflection rooted in soil, scripture, and hope. Students in the Master of Arts in Theology and Ecology program and those pursuing the Concentration in Theology, Ecology, and Faith Formation participate in the Farminary to explore ecological sustainability rooted in theological practice.
