By Ashley Wiehe
Director of Communications

Dust usually isn’t a wanted thing. It’s something that dirties our homes and soils our shoes. But, what about redeemed dust?

The Rev. Joe Hoem brings the message of “The Great Exchange” to “Worship Anew” on Feb. 18, Ash Wednesday.

Hoem has served as the pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., for the past five years.

His story is much like the story of the redeemed dust. He was born in India but was abandoned near the doorsteps of an orphanage where he was then raised for five years. A Lutheran couple from Sheboygan, Wis., then adopted and raised him.

He had a good life. He went to college, worked in broadcasting, and then at a car dealership. In 2008, God called on his heart to go the seminary to become a pastor.

His first call was to a small parish in Murphysboro, Ill., and his career eventually led him to St. Paul’s. As a pastor, he applies his knowledge of business administration and leadership to the work for his congregation.

At St. Paul’s, it is customary on Ash Wednesday to put your ashes (your dust) on at the beginning of the worship service, especially when he is sharing with the students at his school. He wanted to share that same tradition on “Worship Anew.”

“We tell them, this black cross is a reminder that you are a sinner in need of Christ’s forgiveness, and then you can wear that as a reminder all day,” he said. “Every time you look in the mirror, every time you see yourself, you should see yourself as a sinner.”

But the illustration doesn’t end there.

“That cross is a reminder that your sins are washed away — just like how you’ll go home and wash this cross off,” he said. “Your sins are washed away never to be had again because Christ took those to that cross for you.”

For his message on “Worship Anew,” he is wearing the “dust” on his forehead because he wants viewers to understand its importance.

“You are dust, and to dust you shall return,” he said. “But your dust is in the hands of Jesus, and so your dust is now redeemed and saved, and you now have your new life in Christ, in His righteousness.”

The “Worship Anew” Ash Wednesday program will be available on streaming services through Worship Anew’s YouTube channel and app through Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick, and Google TV.

To learn more about this and other resources during Lent, visit worshipanew.org/lent.