Homily for Ash Wednesday
March 2, 2022
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We are overwhelmed by the world. Life is just difficult. As we say to God in Prayer C, “. . . we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another. Have mercy, Lord, for we are sinners in your sight.” The noise is relentless: ‘Buy this, fix that.’ The noise humanity makes is so loud that we can barely think: transportation, electronics, self righteous assertion, and greed clamor at us incessantly.
It’s a right fair mess.
So what can we do? What options might we have to prepare for a Holy Lent?
Well, we could be more aggressive. We might walk faster to get the last cart at the grocery store before someone else. We could deeply resent the person we did not see, but who now occupies “our” place in the line. We can tell ourselves that it has been a hard day, and we absolutely deserve that pastry, piece of cake or 6th cup of coffee with all the trimmings. We might drive as though we are more important than anyone else. Since others do not know that, we will show them: speeding, weaving and tailgating with a vengeance will be a start. We can then move up to cutting people off, blaring our horns and turning left right in front of them (in the oncoming lane,) with inches to spare. We are bigger; faster; richer. We are worthy.
Or . . .we can be more passive aggressive, talking about each other and churning up trouble in the system: any system. We can wait for other people to offer to help because we are too busy. We can feel keen and scornful delight when someone we do not like has a comeuppance. We can be that kid in the classroom who raises their hand faster and answers more superciliously. . .and consequently chooses to gloat about it. We already know we have all the answers, and if people did it our way? Every tattered, torn and mishandled event would fall into perfect order.
Maybe, we could let God in, just once in a while, to confer with us at our convenience. As we have the time, this could become an acceptable practice. But in the meantime, we think we can impress Jesus by fasting and praying. We can starve ourselves, make ourselves truly unhappy, and perhaps, even unhealthy. There must be a badge or a ribbon or trophy just for that, and we want it. But to get it, we will have to go one extra step. We will have to make sure others are aware that we are in a heap. We have to illustrate that we are superior in this practice, and following our example is the best way.
At this point, I hope to goodness that you have heard clearly that none of what I just listed has ANY place in a holy Lent. That is, unless some of us have actually been doing these things, habitually thinking about them, or actively condemning others who do. If so, returning to God with a contrite and broken heart is absolutely our best way forward. Any—or all—of these things have the power to separate us from God, and to keep us wandering in wastelands far away. They also have the possibility of helping us to evaluate and understand where we are in our relationship with God.
If you have not yet chosen a Lenten discipline, it could be as simple as walking with God each week to evaluate one aspect of this relationship. The Sacred Ordinary Days Journal has a weekly Examen that checks in on our spirit, mind, body, work, resources and home. We might consider how these pieces of self have been longing for a deeper and more integrated walk with Jesus. How is that closeness or distance impacting the way we approach The Holy and each other?
Please hear me clearly: today is about making our relationships with God right. Speaking for myself, I could never even begin to do all that is needed in 40 days. But I can humble myself to make a right beginning. And that can start today. It perhaps can begin here.
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Despite popular opinion to the contrary, I believe that this is why church communities have been, and will continue to be, relevant. It would seem that Screwtape, who wrote all those letters to his nephew Wormwood, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screwtape) has been hard at work telling anyone who will listen that the church was dying anyway, and now Covid-19 has finished it off. How can we reconcile that with what we know to be true in this community? When we walk our faith journey together, we help each other to see that God is forever reaching out to welcome us home.
Commitment to worshiping together (even electronically!) provides some of the easiest and strongest ways we can experience the Holy Spirit’s encouragement. We will receive ashes individually today, but it might be even more important that we choose to receive them together. We have some in our community who cannot be with us in worship right now. And we have others who have drifted away, or chosen to not return. We need to work much harder to connect with both of these groups; they are important members of our community. And there may even be others who have not yet found us, but who might need us in ways too deep to explain. They could find the connection they are seeking here; in welcoming, we will find blessing.
Part of Lent is our turning inwardly to examine our own selves, but an equal part of Lent is turning back out to the world with better understanding, intentions and practices.
God does not intend for us to be overwhelmed by the world. God intends for us to be filled with the Spirit, so that the world can not define us. “Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. . .”
To paraphrase Joel, the trumpet is blowing in Zion. The work we will do this Lent is sacred and deep; we are privileged to begin it here and now. Fear not the journey, nor the noise of this world. God is all around and within, and waiting to welcome us home.
Amen
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