February 17, 2010
Ash Wednesday (Year C)
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 103; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10;
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
In a few minutes I will stand before you and, using the words in the Prayer Book, I will invite you all to keep a Holy Lent. The tradition of the church is that a Holy Lent is one in which each individual, with the support of the community, engages in self-examination and repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and takes on additional “habits” of reading and meditating on Scripture. Then, to begin the process of this self-examination and repentance, we will all kneel together, in silence, as we prepare ourselves to mark that beginning with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads.
The words I repeat are timeless and the ashes a habit borrowed from Hebrew tradition, but the newness of needing to examine ourselves never goes away. While we might be needing this year to repent of different actions from last year, it is, without ceasing, true that we all need to repent and turn over a new page, each of us, and all of us, together and separately.
So the silence we keep is a corporate silence. My sin is not greater than your sin; nor is your sin greater than mine. Together in silence we become one people turning to God for our corporate redemption, and together we promise to do better than we have done this year.
What we do not promise to do is point out each other’s shortcomings, sins or faults. That we each have short comings is assumed of course. However, the very nature of those shortcomings and sins is between our souls and God. We all assume in our common, silent prayer that to be human is to be aware that we fail. We fail ourselves; we fail each other; and most certainly we fail God. We might have different weaknesses, sins and shortcomings. We each have done different things that we need to individually reflect upon. But, that we do not serve each other well (or God for that matter) if we take it upon ourselves to point out what another’s shortcomings are, is clearly taught in the Scripture passages we hear this day and in many other teachings from Scripture. We can’t admonish another. That is God’s task. We need instead to be making a hearty try at keeping a Holy and Life giving Lent in our own life.
Joel tells us God pleads with us to return to Him with all our heart, and Lent is the time when we look at what keeps us from being able to do that. When we examine ourselves, we need to think about what is separating us from God. We need to ask what are we inwardly and deeply not looking at in ourselves that prevents us from being in right relationship with God and each other.
Joel, and also Matthew in the gospel reading, both make a point of saying that the outward overtures that we make that appear to be pious, actions that live the letter of the law without embracing its intent are not enough. Indeed, they may mask or prevent us from really looking inward. Joel suggests we rend our hearts not our clothing (not that many of us rend clothing these days). And Matthew warns against looking too dismal or working too hard at being seen in the right places.
How each of us understands these warnings and finds our own weaknesses is not up to others to explain to us. And certainly it’s not up to me to describe your sin. My task is merely to invite you to keep a Holy Lent so that you can examine how these warnings pertain to you. The work is yours, the mirror you hold before your face held in your own hand.
I hope in the silence before the ashes you are able to begin that deep, holy reflection.
And then, once the reflection has begun in the silence, come forward and receive the ashes on your forehead as a symbol of your intention to let your reflection continue. And then to comply with the admonishments in the lessons I suggest that this year you do something we don’t normally do. I would ask you to think about wiping the cross off! If we wipe them off, no one sees them. We are praying in secret as Jesus suggests. Let that cross be between you and God alone, an invisible cross written on your heart, not a showy sign of piety. Then, each time you touch your forehead remember the cross emblazoned there. This day a cross is made and at your baptism a cross, also unseen, was made to mark you. Remember the holiness you are called to when you touch the invisible cross. Remember the self-examination that you are invited into is the truest indication that you are keeping a Holy Lent. Others may not see the holiness of your Lent right away, but such a Lent will bring changes others will feel in ways the smudgy cross on your forehead or other pious acts never will. Let your heart be rent! Do not mask your deep, inward reflection borne on the wings of prayer. Good people, truly let us all keep a Holy Lent.
Amen.
The Reverend Dr. Gale Davis Morris
Church of the Good Shepherd