Importance: 50%
The Big Idea: The connection between dirt and the human person is deeply meaningful and worth investigating.
Dirt as a part of Humans
(used for OSšEpistle May 2023)
The Bible is full of so much rich imagery. A single word can connect to other places all over the pages of Scripture. This is especially true for numbers and images that occur frequently throughout story after story. These connections help to build our understanding and imagination of not just the words of Scripture but also the world around us.Ā
One particularly powerful image is not just an image but an element: dirt. This seemingly common element is filled with special meaning in the stories of the Bible. Today we may look at dirt as messy or repulsive. Or we may be thankful for how it grows plants and vegetables.Ā Yet other times we may give no thought to dirt at all. It is that part of the earth that is there, but not of much concern unless it needs to be wiped from the feet of a child or dog.Ā Ā
But in the pages of Scripture dirt is a core part of the world and even humanity. In the story of Creation, God forms humans from the dirt of the earth and breathes his life into them. The very first definition of what makes a human - a human - is dirt mixed with the breath of life. From that moment forward dirt (or dust, ashes, clay) becomes a basic part of being human.Ā Through the fall humans are introduced to death that reverses the creative process and turns us back into dirt and breath.Ā
Through the short time between the creation of humanity and our fall, we see two very basic and powerful associations beginning to be formed around the image of dirt. On one hand, dirt is the stuff of beginnings, out of which life can be grown or formed in all of its beauty and wonder. Yet dirt is also the substance of decay, the unraveling of Godās creatures back to their uncreated state.Ā
Both of these themes continue to be developed throughout the Old Testament. Those who mourned for the dead, or for sin, would often rip their clothes and sprinkle ashes (i.e. dirt) on their heads. A very physical reminder of the reality that sin and death bring about the unraveling of creation. The classic verse we repeat every Ash Wednesday calls us back to think on this theme and the deep consequences of our sin: āfor you are dust, and to dust you shall return.ā - Genesis 3:19
Yet dirt is not all negative, clay and pottery (the forming of dirt) is connected with Godās forming of humans from the ground. Humans are seen as unique creations handcrafted by a master potter. This radical image of human beings made of dirt forces us to think about our basic reliance on God not only for salvation, but for our very existence. In the New Testament, Paul points out this important reality when he compares our bodies containing faith in Jesus to jars of clay: āBut we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.ā - 2 Corinthians 4:7
These are but a few of the connections the simple image of dirt has throughout the pages of Scripture. Every single image in every single story is equally interwoven with the grand narrative of Godās salvation. This overwhelming complexity of beauty is an ever calling invitation to us as Godās people to search, learn, memorize, remember, and talk about Godās everlasting word. A lifetime is not nearly enough to exhaust the depths of Scripture.Ā Ā
Gardener parablesĀ
Dirt with creative word equals humanĀ
Psalm 30 can my dust praise you?Ā
Psalm 33 God spoke creation into beingĀ
The theology of Breath and spirit being connected. Breathing as a practice that is connected to the breath of life that comes from God. Breathing being a way to not connect with the universe or self but the Holy Spirit who gave you that breath and who continues to sustain that breath of life within you