Tuesday Devotion

This morning's devotion is provided by Pastor Sarah Lang, St. Matthew's Charleston, campus pastor to MUSC/College of Charleston:

Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7

 

The campus ministry where I serve, whenever the students gather, has a tradition of sharing highs and lows and prayer concerns with each other. For us, it’s an easy way to check-in about our weeks and share in each other’s lives. This week when we gathered, in addition to sharing simple highs and lows, we also shared a soundtrack for our week—songs we typically listen to when we’re sad or happy, full of sorrow or full of joy.

 

The song that’s been a companion for me this past week is entitled “Dirt,” and it’s written and sung by an under-the-radar-kind of band called The Collection. The song tells the story of biblical characters who all struggle with being dirt in various ways:  Abraham was scared to die, Joseph’s coat was full of pride, Moses never entered into the land promised him, Solomon fell for every single lie, David abused power and fame, Peter denied his love and his name, and Paul wrestled with a thorn unknown.

 

After naming the brokenness and pain of being human, the song suddenly shifts.  The stark musical beginning builds to a full, orchestral, gorgeous end. The dirt isn’t the end of the story, but instead as the song goes on to tell, God uses each of these suspect characters to bring goodness, compassion, forgiveness, and beauty into the world. The song ends with a declaration of God’s amazing grace—that God doesn’t see the dirt in us but rather life.  

 

Listen to the song here.

 

For me, this song has been my companion, because it seems right now my life is full of dirt. The congregation where I’m serving is divided. It’s fighting. The conflict is ugly. It’s painful. It looks and feels like dirt. Sometimes it is hard to see beyond it.

 

And yet, the pain, the conflict, the fighting, the dirt is not the end of the story, and that’s God’s promise and God’s story.  Like Adam before us, we are made from the dirt of the earth, and throughout our lives we choose dirt rather than the life Christ chooses for us. Eventually, we will all return to dirt. But that dirt is not the end of the story--from the dirt of the cross and tomb comes new and unexpected life. 

 

Over and over again, this is God’s story. And so the song reminds me that no one and no God-forsaken situation is beyond the reach of God’s love and redemption. Not those who hurt us. Not you. Not me.

 

Thanks be to God who redeems the dirt in me.