Ash Wednesday Sermon 2018

Sermon 02-14-18    

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 

1 "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

16 "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.                   

Ash Wednesday is such a long day! I know, I know—every day is 24 hours long.

But Ash Wednesday is the beginning of that long day of Lent,

a day of 40 days when we get ready for that great day of resurrection.

This is our time of repentance, of turning away from the things that draw us away from God,

and turning toward God.

We do that by practicing, by diligent practice, in the form of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Jesus has some advice for us in our practice: do not be like the hypocrites,

who do these things for attention, from others and from God.

We practice our faith not to get God’s attention or favor, but to get closer to God.

In the rhythm of the church year we practice living godly lives for these 40 days of Lent—

not so we can say we did it, or to celebrate its end after Easter.

We live this way during Lent, diligently, intentionally,

so that after these 40 days these practices are who we are.

We pray, to listen to God and have our spirits shaped by that divine wisdom.

We fast, to remind ourselves of our dependence on the one who gives us each day our daily bread.

We are generous, providing from our abundance for the needs of the community around us,

friend and stranger alike.

In a world that shows us grief and pain, brokenness and bloodshed, oppression and fear,

there is much to undo and much to be done.

Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not hardships we must endure,

but steps to bring us closer to God, so we can see the kingdom of God close to us.

They are practice for being the kingdom of God, the body of Christ.

The 40 days of Lent remind us that Holy Week and Easter are life-changing, every single year.

Surviving them is no small miracle, so we take this time to get ready.

I have been asked why we read a Bible text about not practicing our piety in ways others can see,

then we put a cross of ashes on our heads for all to see.

This cross is not to show others that we went to worship today,

or that we took time to feel extra sorry for our sins,

or that we are not eating candy, or maybe not eating anything, today.

Rather, this cross shows others who we really are—our brokenness, our sinfulness, our less-than-perfection

that we normally try so hard to hide.

This cross is about honesty, about human-ness.

And this cross also shows what the cross always shows:

that God has loved us with an everlasting love whose name is Jesus,

and that despite the death these ashes signify, the cross is empty because of resurrection.

This cross of ashes shows others, and we who wear it, that we are human and God is God,

a God of redemption, love, and salvation,

a God who will not let anything, even death, stop that holy love.

Lent is a time for us to dwell in that truth: we are not ready for such great love as this,

but we are practicing for it.

And God IS ready, is always ready, to love us with this love; for in Christ, we are made whole. Amen.