Grace Episcopal Church, Galveston
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21February 26, 2020
On Ash Wednesday, clergy across this communion (and others) impose ashes, with varying degrees of skill, in the rough shape of a cross. Let this mark be a sign of “deep contrition, repentance, and an unmistakable sign of belonging” to God. (See "A Meditation for Ash Wednesday" by The Rev. Katherine Sonderegger of Virginia Theological Seminary.)
We have just heard Jesus praise those who keep their acts of piety secret. His words about piety underscore what has come earlier in Matthew’s Gospel: God cares more about what is in our hearts than what is on the outside. As far as our piety, our devotional practices, Jesus is urging us to pay attention to our intentions. If we receive ashes today just so that other people will see them, if the motivation were all about what others think, then we miss what Jesus is teaching. Instead, let’s be motivated to work on our relationship with God and our love of neighbor. This is what Lent is about, turning our hearts to God and away from all else that distracts. If through acts of personal piety, we seek a closer walk with God and a more loving world, then surely our hearts are in a good place.
In a moment, I will, in the name of the Church, formally invite us to observe a holy Lent. The ashes that follow are a sign of our mortality. It is as if to say, “Without God we are nothing more than dust.” We leave this life as dust, and God takes our future from there. Perhaps, letting go of all ego-inflating pretense makes it easier to acknowledge our dependence on God alone.
One thing I would like to do for Lent is to work on downsizing by letting go of some stuff. I still have books from college, graduate school, and seminary. Each one is a part of me in some way and many hold good memories. But, holding on to them may be one way I refuse to accept my mortality. Perhaps, letting go of some of them will be a type of self-denial, an acceptance that life on this earth comes to an end, and part of a holy Lent for me.
The ashes today remind me that humility is the way to a closer walk with God. Love today reminds me to do what needs to be done so my children will not be burdened with so much of my physical stuff. This kind of letting go reminds me that the things my loved-ones most need from me today are not really things at all; more than anything else, they need my love.
Lately, we have been made deeply aware of the shortness and uncertainty of human life. The evolution of Covid-19 into a global pandemic underscores this. The effects of rapid climate change underscore this. We also live in a time when people are polarized into mutually exclusive silos of opinion…a time when reason seems to have left the arena of civil discourse, and all groups seek to hurt the other at escalating cost. And, this is just at a point when all people need to cooperate for the benefit of our species and our planet. Lent is a time for self-examination including an examination of how we respond to those we do not understand. Lent is a time for us to consider what Love and Reason require of us individually, in our Church, and in the troubled world in which we live. Lent is a time to answer Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be healed?”
Giving alms, prayer, fasting, downsizing, self-examination, humble actions... All of these practices are ways to make more room in our hearts for God. Beginning with today’s ashes, may all of our special acts of devotion, self-denial, and love of neighbor this Lent be intended to draw us closer to God in Jesus Christ. For where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. AMEN.
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