Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

In some congregations this past Sunday people were invited to bury the “alleluias” signaling the beginning of Lent. One colleague lamented the year he had hidden them in the baptismal font and forgotten where they were stashed; colleagues were reminded that if they were burying the alleluias, they better have a way to remember where they’re hidden. It’s fun for me to imagine having a roughly drawn treasure map thumbtacked to the wall in the sacristy or tucked here into the pulpit Bible to show us the way back to the treasure at Easter.

But in practice, burying the alleluias for Lent — or simply refraining from using the word for “Praise God!” that occurs so frequently in our liturgy and songs — is one example of a discipline where we take a rest from something in order that its meaning or significance will be renewed when we return.

Through giving, fasting and prayer, the season of Lent invites us to rest.

Giving beckons us to step off the treadmill of everyday life that is always urging us to do more and have more. Resting in the knowledge that God cares for each one of us as lilies in the field, we are reminded that all we have has been given to us by God and belongs to God already and we are commanded to give the best of our first fruits to God, instead of withholding them or keeping them for ourselves. And when we give to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and welcome the stranger, (Mt. 25) our sight is renewed and we see each person with God’s eyes, as a fully human and fully loved child of God.

Fasting — giving something up for a period of time — also invites us to rest. Instead of filling ourselves up with activity or junk food, we empty ourselves. A common spiritual practice in Scripture, fasting isn’t about inflicting suffering; it is about heightening our attentiveness to what God is doing.1 Whether we fast from a particular food or a habit, fasting creates space for us to be filled by God.  

Prayer, often described as talking to God, invites us to rest from all the other things we could be doing so that we can draw close to God and renew our strength. Prayer lets us name the concerns of our hearts, but the best conversations aren’t one-sided, so prayer also asks us to wait on the Lord to speak. Amid the noise and wordiness of our lives, silence invites us to listen for God.

Safe in God’s care, filled by God’s Spirit and renewed by God’s Word for us, we are strengthened for whatever lies ahead.

Today on Ash Wednesday, particularly, we prepare for Lent with confession and repentance. We confess our sin— the way we curve in on ourselves, and away from God; the ways we live imperfectly as disciples; the ways we make idols of our stuff, our desires and our selves; the ways we stumble and do our own  thing instead of following Jesus.

Our repentance is not passive. As we put on ashes, we commit to actively “turn around” — to turn away from ourselves and return to God with all our heart. Lent offers us opportunities to find meaningful practices that help us live as followers of Jesus, not just for forty days but for all time.

Let us pray…
Holy Lord,
We give you thanks for your abundant mercy and love;
teach us how to follow your Son Jesus and find our treasure in You;
when we are weak in faith, strengthen us and fill us with your Holy Spirit.
We pray in the name of Jesus, our savior and Lord.
Amen.

1 www.bishopmike.com