Ashes by Tom Conry
"We rise again from ashes,
from the good we’ve failed to do.
We rise again from ashes,
to create ourselves anew.
If all our world is ashes,
then must our lives be true,
an offering of ashes, an offering to you.
...
The rain we’ll use for growing,
and create the world anew
from an offering of ashes, an offering to you."
I don't know, maybe I'm missing something, but I'm really uncomfortable with the creating ourselves anew and the creating the world anew parts. It sounds existential to me.
2 comments:
! This was the final hymn yesterday for us, too (not my usual church), and I wanted to burst out laughing and then discuss it with someone. Musical issues aside, yes - it seems to have some serious theological flaws, as well. First of all, isn't the whole point of Ash Wednesday that we're *returning* to ashes, not rising from them? Hello?
And what is this business about creating ourselves anew? Again, I'm pretty sure the point is that we *can't* do it ourselves. Because we're ashes.
Oh my.
Haha. Yes. It's dizzying: we're ashes; we're not ashes. It's a vicious circle.
Well, glad we could digitally discuss:).
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