God meets us in the Dust

Ash Wednesday

February 18, 2026

[Readings and Psalm]

Joel 2:1–2, 12–17 ⠂Psalm 51:1–17 ⠂Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21 ⠂2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10

Introduction — The Cross We Wear Today

Today we carry a mark that’s hard to miss—a dark cross, right on our forehead, where everyone else can see it before we can. It tells the truth about us: our limits, our humanity, our belonging to God. And into that truth, we hear these rich scriptures from Joel, the psalmist, Jesus, and Paul. Each one urges us to listen, to pause, to reflect, and to return to God with all our hearts.

Contexts of the Readings

Joel 2:1–2, 12–17

Joel speaks to a community shaken by crisis, calling them to return to God with sincerity, not performance. God is not threatening them; God is inviting them back into life.

Psalm 51:1–17

The psalmist is painfully honest about failure and longing for a clean heart. God asks for truth in the inward being, not sacrifices or show.

Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

Jesus speaks to people who have turned spiritual practices into performances. He invites them back to a quiet, hidden relationship with God—one rooted in trust, not display.

2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:10

Paul speaks to a community struggling with hardship and mixed loyalties, urging them to be reconciled to God now, not later. God meets them in weakness and calls them into a new way of living.

My Pivot to Joel 2:3

Now, there’s a verse we didn’t hear today, Joel 2:3. It’s one the lectionary skips, but I think it’s worth holding as we enter Lent. Joel describes two places: in front of the people is something like the garden of Eden, and behind them is a desolate wilderness. If we skip that verse, we skip the tension we actually live in—the struggle between what drains us and what gives life, between what has been and what could be.

And honestly, that “in-between space” is exactly what Lent offers us. It’s where we pause, reflect, and make decisions for the forty days ahead—decisions that lead us toward resurrection.

Today I want to focus on this “in-between space” from Joel, because it speaks to us in our own contexts, in our shared community, even in our nation.

(Note: Slight tightening for smoother cadence.)

Joel 2:3

“A fire devours before them, and behind them flame blazes up. Like the Garden of Eden is the land before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness. Nothing at all ever escapes them.”

Joel describes two landscapes side by side.

In front of the people is something like the garden of Eden:   life, possibility, renewal.

Behind them is a desolate wilderness:   places that feel empty, worn out, or uncertain.

And here we stand on Ash Wednesday, with this cross on our forehead, right between those two places.

Questions for Reflection

• What emotions rise within us?

• What might stop us from moving forward—or discourage us?

• What might give us reason to move forward—or leave us no choice?

  (Notes: Joel’s point is that no one can escape the moment when God calls you back.)

Let’s think about our own context—our community or our world:

• Where do you see something that looks like wilderness?

• And where do you see signs of Eden, even small ones?

(Pause. Reflect back one or two themes shared.)

Our Shared Theology — God Meets Us in the Dust

What I hear in our reflections is this: we believe in a God who meets us right where we are. Not after we fix ourselves, not after the wilderness disappears, but right in the dust.

When you imagine God meeting us in the dust of our real lives,

• what truth about God becomes clearer?

• And what truth about us becomes clearer?

(Pause. Name one shared theological thread.)

Decisions Shaped by Theology — Turning Toward Life

The people in Joel’s time, the psalmist, Jesus’ listeners, Paul’s communities—they all had to decide how to live differently because of who God is and who they are. And so do we.

• What small action, in our shared life or in the world around us, might move us one step out of wilderness and one step toward Eden?

• And how might we encourage each other as people who are trying to choose life together?

(Pause. Affirm what is shared.)

Transition to Good News

Together, we’ve named so much wisdom. And all of it leans toward the good news we carry into Lent.

Prayer and Blessing — Gathering Our Words

Let us gather all these words—God’s words and our reflections—and offer them in prayer.

Holy God,

You have heard the places we name as wilderness and the places we glimpse as Eden. You have heard the truths we believe about you, and the hopes we carry for how we might live. Take all of this and breathe your Spirit into it.

Shape us as people who know we are dust, and who know we are loved. And as we walk these forty days toward resurrection, bless us with courage, compassion, and renewed hearts.

Amen.