Welcome: Dust and Bunnies

by: Antonia Siebert, Lenten Devotions Editor

As he was leaving his preschool one day, my youngest son flung himself on the grass with great abandon, rolled over a few times and ended up on his back, looking up at the sky as he wiggled his feet back and forth. The mother of one of his classmates looked at him and said, "It's good that Tom likes to do that. I understand that it makes kids feel safe and centered and grounded, so it shows that Tom is seeking that 'grounded' feeling to be calm and focused."

Those of you who know my exuberant son would probably find that observation as amusing as I did, as no one would ever describe Tom as "calm" or "focused". Nevertheless, the hypothesis that lying upon the ground can have a comforting or stabilizing effect was intriguing, and the idea lingered with me.

It finally made sense to me when I read Genesis 3:19, wherein God tells Adam "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." If we came from the ground, if we live by our toil of the ground, and if we eventually return to and become the ground, then of course lying on the ground is a way to re-connect our bodies with our ancient ingredients - a way to return home.

And while we are there, communing with the dirt and becoming "mentally and emotionally stable : admirably sensible, realistic, and unpretentious" (as Webster's Dictionary defines "grounded") we should probably be tidying up a bit - you know, dusting. We should be clearing out cobwebs in the brain, ordering our thoughts, focusing on goals at hand and preparing for the future.

Lent is a period of contemplation and preparation - the season for dusting.

Tomorrow we are dusted with ashes on Ash Wednesday, and then we have 40 days to repent, confess our sins, and return to God. We need to prepare ourselves to experience the heart-wrenching sorrow of the crucifixion, and then the glory and joy of Easter.

The members of Christ the King Lutheran Church offer these daily devotions to inspire you to seek out and sweep away all your dust bunnies. We hope these Bible verses and meditations will encourage you in your task.

Speaking of bunnies, you may notice lots of rabbits included in the art that accompanies these Devotions. They are a tribute to Beth Barley Tozer, who loved rabbits and for many years assisted in producing our annual Devotions for Lent. Beth passed away on January 7, 2007, and this edition of the Devotions for Lent is dedicated to her.