Ecclesiastes 3:20 Now Available feat. John and Casey Petterson

Mar 3

Ecclesiastes 3:20 is now available on all streaming platforms!

THE VERSE

All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. (Ecclesiastes 3:20 ESV)

I still remember the priest speaking those quiet yet sober words over me that cold morning in Oklahoma City. If I close my eyes, I can almost still feel the weight of his thumb on my forehead as he pressed the black ashes saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” That day, I was reminded that ready or not, death had my number. In the Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday invites us to do precisely what the Latin phrase “memento mori” says: Remember your death. It’s a reminder that regardless of how amazing your family genetics are or your physical prowess or eating patterns, death is inevitable.

If I close my eyes, I can almost still feel the weight of his thumb on my forehead as he pressed the black ashes saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Ecclesiastes is a paraphrase of God’s words first uttered in Genesis 3:19 as He spoke to Adam telling him the consequences of his rebellion against Him in the garden. Because of sin, we die (or return to the dust). According to Paul in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death…” For a largely death averse culture in the West, Ash Wednesday breaks the silence and invites us to ponder this reality up close… Just as we were created from dust, so eventually all of us will return to dust. Each and every one of us have to grapple with the reality that our days are numbered and that our strength is finite. Ash Wednesday is an annual rehearsal of our own impending funerals.

Ash Wednesday is an annual rehearsal of our own impending funerals.

At a minimum, considering our own mortality on Ash Wednesday (or any day for that matter) should give us three things:

Humility. As we realize how much little control we have over our own life, we should be humbled. We are not sovereign over our destiny and when we die. The very root of the word humble is from the Latin word “humus” meaning “from the ground.” Death has a way of humbling, or returning us to the dust. Remember you are created, and not Creator!
Wisdom. Rather than instilling fear or terror in the one considering their own mortality, to learn to number one’s days is to get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:14). To ignore one’s own mortality is to live with a heart of folly.
Hope. We quoted Romans 6:23 earlier but didn’t finish the sentence. Here is the verse in its entirety: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul reminds us that though death will claim each of our lives, God’s gift to us through Jesus is eternal life! Just as Jesus died and was raised to life, so we die and are raised to life in Christ. Though our last enemy, death will not have the last word! What hope this truth can bring to the anxious and fretful heart.

Regardless if you have ashes pressed down on your forehead in the shape of the cross this year or not, you are invited to heed the words of Ecclesiastes 3:20: “All are from the dust, and to dust all return.”

May this verse humble you, flood your life with wisdom, and in turn live with a hopefulness in the very face of death!

The Song & The Artist

John and Casey Petterson live in Denver, CO. John works at Park Church and Casey as a mental health therapist. They are from Kansas originally, and enjoy making music together.

When asked about this verse, John commented:

This may sound morose, but Ash Wednesday has always been one of my favorite days in the Christian Calendar. Living in Denver can make me think that everyone is young, fit, and outdoorsy, and that death is a very long way off. The Ash Wednesday service, and this verse, help give me a perspective that I’d like to carry far beyond a single day of the year. I hope this song helps the listener to engage with this reality: May we live well in light of our mortality, accepting each day as a precious gift from God. May we see the people around us as precious gifts as well. Today, and as long as we have breath, we have opportunity to love.