Ash Wednesday 2020

 

 

It's time for Lent to begin and the question I usually pose to all my congregants is, "What will you give up for Lent?"

It is a tradition long seeded in Christendom. As a Lutheran scholar has noted, Lent is "...a time we set aside each year to remember the love of God that is poured out through Christ Jesus on the cross in His death; and His defeat of death, sin and Satan in Christ's death and resurrection that brings Eternal Life to you." There are many way we could approach Ash Wednesday. If we are speaking about being over-comers of sin, we could certainly speak to the Armor of God and create a M.O.S.H. pit. (March On Satan's Head) I think the intention of Lent, however, is one of remorse and introspection. It is not a time of getting ourselves pumped up for a battle. God will take care of the battle for us. He has already with the death and resurrection of his Son. Lent has with it some connotations of repentance and sorrow. This should be our first means of approach as we draw near to God. Our religious experience is not one where we try to put the emotional side on a mountain top so we feel good about ourselves. The scriptures make it plain to us that if we are to come close to the Almighty we should do so with "sackcloth and ashes". There needs to be some way of stating for our hearts that we know that we do not measure up to the way God intends for humans to be. Maybe we should approach with an "I'm sorry". Maybe we come near with nothing to say at all. We simply come. "Be still and know..." 

God draws close to us as well. God does not come with grand gestures or loud announcements. He simply comes. With our Lenten season comes a time of fasting and praying that many of us seem to misunderstand. Isaiah 58 is one place where God makes an impassioned plea for his people to have a correct mindset on what it is he wanting. It's not about giving up things that have no consequence or meaning in the big picture of life. It is about going with out so that other might have a chance to feel love and acceptance. If we are giving up some kind of food, might we take the time to go see that someone else has food for their family during this time? We seek creature comforts that would make our lives easier yet leave weights and yokes on others that would hold them down and make life harder for them. How could we give shelter to those who need to get in out of the storm of life? This time is not for petty things like giving up chocolate and soda pop. It is for setting our own wants and cares aside and giving ourselves to the life that God intends for us to live. A life that meets the needs of other people and forgets about our selfish wants and desires. 

Jesus went without for 40 days. NO food. NO water. NO bread. We often seek for ways that we can follow in the footsteps of our Savior and be like him. That is why these 40 days are important to our journey. Often, Christians will use this time between Ash Wednesday and Easter as a way to re-focus ourselves. Revival meetings are meant to be just that. A way to bring to life something that was dying inside of us. What can you do during this next 6 weeks that would bring you closer to God? If fasting is the way you intend to spend this season, remember the suggestion of John Wesley who would say, "do not get so caught up in the means of fasting that you forget why you were fasting in the first place." Jesus did so in order to put his flesh in line with what the Father wanted of Him spiritually. For many, and I would cast an eye into the arena of our Catholic friends; to suggest that this becomes another means of control. But, so many in our Protestant world have no idea why they are fasting either. Even if the direction from a congregant is to give up something like chocolate or listening to music on the way to work, to often they truly can't give you a good reason as to why they are doing this. We lose sight of where we are headed before we even take off on the journey because we don't understand where we are headed in the first place. 

About 10 years ago, out of the United Kingdom, came a group calling itself Stewardship. There emphasis was to help people into the means of giving what they have in philanthropic ways to meet the needs of others. What they developed has come to be known as the 40acts Challenge. Throughout the UK and into the world, this interesting group has found ways to contribute and help others who might need some financial means or food or any kind of assistance. I spent this afternoon working it up and came tonight with a 40 day challenge of our own here in this area. Take it as seriously as you want. Edit it in any for or fashion that you want. My hope is that we can look beyond ourselves into our world make it a better place to be. 

With the disposition of Ashes, we are reminded that we are only here on the earth for a short while. Let us give our hearts to Jesus and make the best of the world we have around us.