The small pile of ashes,
It was kept in the silver bowl.
A thumb-full of ashes,
Was placed on the foreheads,
Of the Christians in the Church.
Every mark forms an ashen sign,
A cross, a signature of the Divine.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
It is Ash Wednesday, when we are reminded,
That we are born of the earth,
To live in joy, sadness, hope or mirth.
We return to the earth like dust.
The soul continues on its journey,
Free from bondage and from fear.
The body is formed out of the earth,
A divine creation from the time of our birth.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
In the Power of the Spirit,
We place our faith and trust.
The pile of ashes reduces in its bowl,
More people are reminded,
That it is the soul that makes us whole.
Ashes to ashes, we hear the words,
To the earth, we return as dust.
In the power of the Divine,
Christians place their trust.