Ash Wednesday, 03/09/2011

Sermon on Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, by Frank C. Senn

In the face of a wholesale destruction of Israel's crops by a plague of locusts some time around 400 B.C., the prophet Joel called on the whole nation to sanctify a fast and return to the Lord. He affirms that the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Today the whole church is called to a season of repentance and renewal "with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning"-mourning our sins that separate us from God because we do not do God's will.

The outcome of such a season of repentance is rejoicing, rejoicing that we have been changed by self-examination and confession (shrivening is the old English word for this process), strengthened by our Lenten disciplines, reaffirmed in the covenant of our Baptism, and ready to celebrate the victory of Christ over sin, death, and the devil as renewed members of his body, the Church.

I'm not sure that we like either repentance or renewal. We do not approach life with a great desire to change. Or, if we have a desire to change we don't want to undertake the actions that will bring it about. The promise of renewal also means that the old person we were is being left behind and there are aspects of our old selves we don't want to say good-by to. So we resist the invitation of this day and this season of Lent.

For these reason our defenses must be penetrated by the word of God so that we will be led to a desire for change, that we will repent, and that we will embrace renewal as we gather around the baptismal font at the Easter Vigil. The readings of Lent, especially in Year A of our Sunday lectionary, are not comfortable ones. They were chosen to challenge the catechumens, those who will be preparing for Baptism at Easter. So if you don't like challenges, Lent is definitely not a time to come to church.

But our Gospel reading today also gives us clues as to why we would not want to do those things that bring about change. We're in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has commented on traditional interpretations of the ten commandments by the scribes and Pharisees that may not be in line with God's original intent. In today's reading Jesus comments on the traditional religious practices that had developed in Judaism. He commends them to his disciples, but with a twist.

Give alms but tell no one.

Pray in private so that no one praises you for your piety.

Fast but not look glum.

As we hear these words of Jesus, inviting his disciples to give alms, to pray, and to fast, but to do so in ways that don't call attention to our outward acts of devotion (thereby denying ourselves the approval of others), we know that these time-honored religious practices have no meaning in and of themselves. We are to engage in these practices; there's no question about that. But they are not ends in themselves. They lead us to other purposes.

As we engage in the penitence of Lent, we cannot be unmindful of the seriousness that pervades so many issues in the world at this time: wars that continue to be fought in Iraq and Afghanistan; revolutions that are toppling old regimes across North Africa and the Middle East; the devastating plague of AIDS in many parts of the world, especially in Africa; the lingering economic uncertainties in our own country and the widening gulf between the rich and the poor; the amorphous specter of terrorism that hangs over Western societies; the larger issue of climate change and the questions about what long term impact that will have on our way of life.

When we talk about change in the light of these global issues, we know that we have been changed. These kinds of issues have changed us. Change can be painful. Not every change is good; some changes over which we have no control can only be lamented as we throw ourselves on the mercy of God, as Noel advised the Israelites to do. But we can also be changed for the better, both for ourselves as individuals and also for the world in which we live. We can be changed so that we really want to "do justice", and do it in ways that reflects the original intention of God's commandments, and in with recourse to the mercy of God. These considerations are very much a part of our Lenten reflections, practices, and devotions.

During the season of Lent we are challenged to confront the life of Jesus Christ whom we profess to serve. Are we with him in his will to bring about the kingdom of God that will change people and the world's conditions? We know the outcome of his journey which came to a head in his confrontation with the religious and political authorities of his time. He calls us to follow him on his journey. But does fear of suffering overwhelm us and cause us to hold back?

In the liturgy of this day we are asked to confess our sins and lament the evils over which we have no control, and then to renew our will to follow Jesus Christ, knowing that this decision will lead us through pain to experience a world that needs a bit more concern, love, and reverence.

St. Paul helps us with our decision: "As we work together with God, then, we urge you not to accept the grace of God in vain. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." There are some times that are better than other times for making important decisions.

We call the church year the year of grace. Grace is a time when judgment is withheld, when an opportunity is given to make amends and set out on a journey that leads to forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation.

The problem is that the old person in us, the old Adam that was supposed to be drowned in the waters of baptism, struggles in his efforts to survive and threatens to pull us under with him. The grace of this day in the church year, this "acceptable time," this "day of salvation," is that we can take the definitive step of burying the old self in the ashes of this day-"ashes to ashes, dust to dust"-so that a new self will arise, cleansed and righteous, to live before God and serve him forever. Amen.

Pastor Frank C. Senn
Evanston, IL
E-Mail: fcsenn@sbcglobal.net

Bemerkung:
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

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