Ash Wednesday — 1 March 2017
Trinity – 12:15 pm
Isaiah 58:1-12 |
Psalm 103:8-14 | 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 | Matthew
6:1-6,16-21
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the
hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are
fasting. Truly I tell you, they have
received their reward.” [Matthew 6:16]
So, what are you giving up for Lent?
It’s funny how quickly this question arises for us, and
among us, as we begin the season of Lent.
Or at least it does, and always has, for me. Lent has always been, from my early childhood,
about “giving up” something. Or so it
seems, and so I remember, although it’s probably not completely true!
The traditional themes of Lent are reflected in today’s
Gospel, in which Jesus talks about almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Likewise, as we will hear in a few minutes,
the Prayer Book expresses the Church’s tradition about the observance of Lent,
“by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and
by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”
[BCP p 265]
But what I remember most clearly from when I was growing up
was especially the self-denial part.
Lent was for giving up stuff. If
it was something I enjoyed, I had to give it up. (Incidentally, this is not an accusation of
my priests or Sunday School teachers, it’s a statement about me and what I was
hearing!) We had to give up
chocolate. (Well, that’s probably not a
bad thing!) We had to give up desserts
at dinner. (Also probably not a bad
thing!) We had to give up going to the
movies. And at least in some years we
had to give up television. Or reading
books that were purely entertainment or recreational. Lent was really pretty miserable! And you could tell how miserable it was by
how disfigured our faces were so much of the time! (Even without ashes!)
Perhaps you get my point.
And, I think, Jesus’ point.
This is not to say that any or all of these self-denials
may not be appropriate parts of your Lenten observance. That’s between you and God, and perhaps your
spiritual director if you have one. But
to the extent that we assume Lent is a time to make ourselves miserable and not
have any fun, we probably need to take a better look at what we think we’re
about in our Lenten observance.
In these more recent times, as I suspect you know, we have
tended to put more emphasis on what we were taking
on for Lent rather than what we were giving
up. And generally, I think, that’s
good. Prayer, for instance, and reading
and meditating on God’s holy Word. Yes,
by all means. Perhaps participation in
some additional service activity. And
let us not forget the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the
thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is
it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into
your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself
from your own kin?” [Isaiah 58:6-7]
But if we are honest with ourselves, we understand that if
we are going to take on something for
Lent, this may well, and perhaps should, involve giving up something else.
Not because there is any merit in being dismal, but because it’s good to
remind ourselves that we can’t have it all.
And, frankly, in this modern world, particularly in our own society, we
come perilously close to assuming that we can have whatever we want. Most of us have too much stuff – physical, psychological, emotional – in our lives. And just like our basement or our attic,
sometimes we need to clean it out.
The season of Lent exists not for its own sake, not
primarily at least, but because it is a time of spiritual preparation for
Easter. And Easter is not just the
celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, although it is
certainly that. But not only that. It’s not “Jesus Christ is risen today,
Alleluia, How Nice For Him!” The Risen
Christ is the promise and the guarantee of our
own eternal destiny; Jesus is what St. Paul calls “the first fruits.” [1Cor
15:20] I think we ought not to worry
overmuch about the specifics of what that will be like. We simply don’t know. And that’s then, and this is now. But we do believe, and have confidence, and
trust, that this is not all there
is. And if we are wise, and faithful, we
will prepare ourselves to be ready for then.. May God grant us all the grace of a blessed
Lent!
