November 30, 2014: The Dirt and the Divine – Jon Gettings

As humans we were created by God from the earth and from breath. More specifically – we are a combination of the dirt and the Divine. If we take a moment to dwell on this it will become, for us, a completely overwhelming thought. With each breath we inhale and exhale we are reminded of the ruach the breath of God within us.

Perhaps the reason this is so overwhelming is because of how much we dwell on our dirt. We have come from dirt and to dirt we will return. True. This message is preached and proclaimed everywhere. Some go so far as to constantly remind us how awful we really are. With so much time dwelling on the dirt it’s no wonder we don’t contemplate the divine image impressed on us.

And this is the tragedy. We forget that we don’t just carry death in our mortal bodies, but we also carry Life. We are not just dirt – we’ve bear the stamp of the divine. And the God who formed us, the one who gives “life and breath and everything else” is the same who has come to redeem, renew and restore us.