Ash Wednesday Sermon

February 14, 2018

Ash Wednesday

Isaiah 58:1-12

Psalm 51:1-17

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Please pray with me,

Lord God, you kept Abraham and Sarah in safety throughout the days of their pilgrimage, you led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea, and by a star you led the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. 

Protect and guide us now in this time as we journey through this season of lent, make our ways safe and our homecomings joyful, and bring us at last to our heavenly home where you dwell in glory with your son and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.  Amen. 

Today our Lenten journey begins.  A 40-day journey that takes us from today, Ash Wednesday and the remembrance of our sinful human nature…all the way to the promise of the resurrection and renewal of our baptism that we remember on Easter Sunday. 

This journey is often seen as a time to give things up.  The old Lenten traditions abstaining or fasting from excessive things in your life and then come Easter Sunday you could indulge!  I’ve had friends who have given up caffeine, chocolate, desserts, soda and shopping.  As I kid I wanted to give up Brussels sprouts one year….but not really for the right reasons.  My mom saw right through that idea.   

In more recent years, there has been a shift.  Rather than abstain from something, folks have opted (myself included) to take something on.   In the past I have practiced the discipline of taking a photo a day to see God at work in the world.  Some folks take up a different prayer or devotional practice.  Others take time each day to set aside food or money that will be donated at the end of Lent. 

The original idea of fasting, of taking something away probably comes to us from our Gospel passage from this day. 

The gospel lesson we hear today, and each Ash Wednesday is taken from Matthew’s recollection of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. And in tonight’s section, we hear about three areas, almsgiving, prayer and fasting.  These are often seen as the three focal Lenten disciplines.  Perhaps it is the last one, fasting, that leads so many of us to give up things that we have in excess, or abundance – or that we just don’t need to put into our bodies every day. 

But this lesson and this season call us into a journey to our baptism. And during this time, we take the time to focus more on almsgiving or works of love, prayer and fasting.

In this lesson, Jesus reminds us why we do such things…

Throughout our passage, we hear about the hypocrites or stage-actors, yes, actors, who fast, and give and pray so that others may know that they are doing it.  When they fast, they look hungry and unclean…as to draw attention to themselves. 

When they pray they do so on street corners, loudly, so that others may know that they are praying. 

And when they give alms, they do so to show others what they are giving and how much they are giving. 

The hypocrites that Jesus points out are ones, who do not seem to understand why they do such things.  It seems that these hypocrites, these actors, do these things to gain attention, of not just their neighbors and other community members, but also to gain the attention of God. 

As our foreheads bear the smudge of ashes, we do not go about town boasting of our humanity, of our sinfulness….we wear these ashes as a reminder to ourselves, so that as we look in the mirror, we say, “I am sorry for my sins, and I know I need to be forgiven”

These ashes speak more to us than they do to anyone else who sees them.  They remind us of who we are, that we are in bondage to sin, and cannot alone save ourselves. 

These ashes remind us of what we have done and what we have left undone, how we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. 

As we see ourselves in the mirror, the ashes cry out for us saying, “I am sorry for my sins, and I know I need to be forgiven.”

These ashes remind us of who we are truly called to be…ourselves.  The real, broken, sinful, mortal, hypocritical human beings that we are. 

Beings that will return to dust. 

A friend posted this comment this past week…”Acting perfect in church is like getting dressed up for an X-ray.” 

She continued, “Church is home.  It’s where I can breathe deep and be myself for God’s sake.”  (Glennon Doyle Melton)  

Church is home.  It’s where I can breathe deep and be myself for God’s sake. 

I pray that church is home for you, too, that this community of faith, this place of worship, is a place where you can truly be yourselves. 

I pray that being part of this community of faith, in this repentant season, provides an opportunity for you to grow deeper in your relationship with God and with one another. 

Tonight, and throughout this season, we have the opportunity to ponder forgiveness.  Today especially, we are reminded that we are mortals in need of forgiveness.  Each time we rub our foreheads or look in the mirror, we are reminded that we are sorry for our sins and that we need to be forgiven. 

That is what this Lenten journey is all about.  It is a reminder of who we are as sinful beings.  It’s a reminder that we alone cannot save ourselves.  It is a reminder that it is through God’s unending love for us that we have been saved, forgiven of our sins and brought into the kingdom of God here and now and into eternal life.   

The actions, therefore, that we give up during Lent, like sweets or caffeine, or that we take up, like a prayer time, or Bible Study…are a response to God’s forgiveness and grace in our lives.    

That’s what this season is all about. 

It’s not about giving something up for the sake of giving something up….

Or giving something up so you can brag about it! 

Or starting a new prayer practice so you can brag about it…

Whether you take something on or give something up, it is for the reason of reconnecting with God.  It’s either removing obstacles that keep you distant from God, or it is adding practices or activities that give you more time for God. 

God is always with us and will be until the end of the age. 

This season, as we anticipate Easter….as we wait and watch, may we continue to see God in our lives and in our world.  May we continue to remember that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness.  May we feel God’s presence among us and be open to new ways of connecting with God and others in truth-filled honest ways. 

And now may the peace, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and let all God’s people say, Amen.