Finding the Sacred in the Silhouette: An Ash Wednesday Reflection

For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. — Psalm 103:14

The high desert in the moments before sunrise is a place of profound silence. It is a space where the world feels stripped to its barest elements—rock, sand, and sky. This morning, as I watched the horizon bleed into shades of deep magenta, royal purple, and vibrant orange, a lone Joshua Tree stood in stark silhouette against the awakening heavens.

On this Ash Wednesday, the image feels less like a landscape and more like a prayer.

There is a well-known story that the Joshua Tree earned its name from 19th-century pioneers who saw in its unique, twisted branches the figure of the biblical Joshua, arms outstretched toward the heavens in petition. Whether or not the legend holds, the symbolism is undeniable today. As we receive the ashes and hear the words, "Remember that you are dust," we are reminded of our own fragile, "silhouette" nature.

Lent is often described as a desert season. It is a time for us to intentionally step away from the noise and the excess of our daily lives to find what is essential. In the desert, there is no place to hide; everything is revealed in the light. Yet, as this photo captures, the desert is not merely a place of barrenness. It is a place where the most spectacular light is found.

If we are dust, we are dust that God paints with the colors of mercy. The magentas and oranges of a desert dawn serve as a visual reminder that even in our darkest or most "stripped back" seasons, the light of the Creator is breaking through.

As you begin your Lenten journey today, I invite you to stand like the Joshua Tree: rooted in the earth, reaching for the light, and unafraid of the silence. The shadows of our lives are real, but they are always defined by the brilliance of the coming day.

Enjoy this Lenten Season, get out and enjoy the desert!

~ Michael