Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 103:8-14; II Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21"
Sometimes preaching happens on the fly. Sometimes the sermon is written three days early and you get to rest. Other times, its getting started at 4:30 the morning of, and at other times the Spirit changes what you're going to preach while you walk to the Ambo. Then there are those very rare moments, that the Holy Spirit lays out the sermon a few weeks in advance. Although I didn’t start writing until this afternoon, this one has been percolating for about two months. Tonight’s sermon is also different because it involves props. The teacher in me may be coming out a little bit. It is likewise strange because this will be the longest sermon I’ve ever preached. Don’t worry, we all get to sleep in our own beds tonight. But this sermon will not really end until our fasting ends with the Feast of the Resurrection at Easter. I just want you to know that your presence here tonight means you're in it for the long hull.
We want our Lenten journey to be a Holy One, and as with any journey or plan, it takes a little preparation. This is why we have Ash Wednesday. A day that grounds us. Reminds us who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. As with every well-laid project, we must begin with the foundation. When you walked in this evening I asked you to take a stone from the basket. All the best foundations are made of stone, the bible tells us that.
I would like you now, to hold your stone in the palm of your hand. Hold it tight. While you clench that stone I want you to think of something in the last year that has caused you to turn from God in any way. Or, has caused your relationships with other people to suffer. Perhaps it’s a distraction or a grudge. Perhaps it is a broken relationship or the inability to forgive ourselves. Something we have done, or something we have left undone.
The server is going to come around and collect those stones from you. And with this action, I ask you to let it go. Not just the stone, but the grudge, the hurt, the distraction. This stone is REPENTANCE. A symbol of our confession. It is the first step toward reconciliation and new life. It is the foundation of our Lenten journey
I’ve picked the stone for this symbol because confession is hard. Admittance of wrong and asking forgiveness can often hurt, and even leave scars if it hits us hard enough. Every day there is something to confess to God, no matter how small. On Ash Wednesday the work begins in earnest of releasing ourselves from the weight of our sins. So, for now, we set them before us, acknowledging them, and giving them over to God, as His love for us requires.
Now for the next layer of our Lenten journey: RESTORATION. For anything to be restored, it must first be broken. We can not change, we can not grow, we can not be transformed unless we are willing. Lent calls us to be open. To find openness in our relationships, with God, each other, friends, and foes. This is only possible with a little brokenness. So here is the next symbol. Broken earth. Soil.
Today we are very exposed to the dust. Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust. Remember that dust you were and to dust you shall return. This Lenten recollection comes from God’s curse in the Garden of Eden. But God does not desire evil upon His children. Therefore this curse does not come without hope and blessing.
Down the hall, we have a plastic tub filled with worms. The worms take what once was whole and since has died, and they transform it. It’s called compost. Rotting, dying, bits of matter are transformed into something new. It dies and is broken. It is no longer of itself. It dies and is broken
in order that it may give life. This is restoration. When out of brokenness come the nutrients that will give new life. Our death is not the end. Our bodies may break down and return to the earth, but life goes on. Life continues. This is what Christ taught us in laying down his own life on the cross, and rising again on the third day, thereby conquering death. Showing that death is not the end of life, but merely the transformation of it. Every day there are things that will break us. And every day a little death is required of us. Just remember that it is only in broken earth that new life is born.
Now our third theme. RENEW. When I hear the word RENEW, I see a sunrise. I hear birds singing the first songs of spring. And I see little green shoots beginning to break through what appeared to be dead earth. When I hear the word RENEW, I think of life. So I have another symbol for this. Bulbs.
God is often compared with a gardener. And as you’ve come to me, you should be able to understand why I like this so much. Our creation account tells us that in the east of the world newly formed God planted a garden. And from the soil of this world, God formed humankind. Breathing breath and breaking the ground so that through what appeared to be dead earth
a new life was born. And after a time the human died, returned to the earth breaking the soil once again. Dying in order for life to be renewed.
This is the movement of our Lenten journey. It is not an easy road, but do not despair. Along the way, the spirit of God moves in and hovers over the water. This water of Baptism is what activates growth as it seeps into every part of our lives from Repentance to Restoration and eventually to Renewal.
Now as I said, this sermon will not be done until we feast at Easter. But as a reminder that this work–––this journey continues, we have this glass vase. It will be back out here for each Mass leading to Holy Week. And hopefully, you will see the physical representation of Lent. The roots will spread clinging to the waters of the Holy Spirit, breaking through the soil with the hands of God, covering our sins in the love of Christ. And over time . . . . life should shoot up.
These are paperwhites. They will grow with us. And as we reach the zenith of our story (the story of Christ which is also our story) the buds should bloom and fill the God’s garden with fragrant beauty. So prepare to grow this Lent. Repent, Restore, and Renew. And remember that even if it feels like you are being buried, you are quite possibly, simply being planted.
Rev. J. Nelson - Ash Wednesday - March 6, 2019
St. David of Wales Episcopal Church - Elkhart, Indiana
No comments:
Post a Comment