03/02/22
Sidney UMC – Ash Weds. Sermon
Sermon Title: “New Ashes, New Hope!”
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 51:1-17
New Testament Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
My friends, brothers and sisters, it has been a crazy
couple of years, has it not? This is our first Ash Wednesday service in person since
2019. I heard last night that about 950,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19,
which of course is almost 1-million people! We have lost beloved church members,
some of us have lost family members and friends, some of us have lost jobs,
income, and many other things. As we gather tonight the largest army in Europe,
the Russian Army, in laying siege to the country of Ukraine. We have inflation
in this country, people are worried about the cost of gas and heating fuel, and
it seems that every day or week lately we hear about more and more death and
more and more suffering.
I know that I have had moments recently of just feeling
completely broken and sad, but I still have great hope. Jesus came into a world
two-thousand years ago not unlike our world today. He saw the suffering, the brokenness,
violence, wars, and death, but he was determined to overcome it. The fullness
of God’s life, light, and love was in Christ, God in the flesh, and he overcame
sin and death on the cross on Good Friday.
As I will say in our “Invitation to the Observance of the
Lenten Disciple” in the service tonight, over the centuries, the Christian
Church developed a 40-day season of spiritual preparation to remember the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Also, over the centuries, some
Christian denominations have embraced the seasons of Lent and Advent, and some
have not. Many Christian denominations also mark the beginning of the season of
Holy Lent with Ash Wednesday. As a sign of our humility, our frailty, and our
need for Christ, we mark ourselves with ashes tonight. We do not do this
because these ashes make us better than other people, more powerful, or give us
cosmic protection. These ashes that we will receive tonight remind us all and
show the world that we have come from ashes and from ashes we will return to
ashes. They are just a symbol, and we get them to remind us that we are humble
before God. These new ashes should give us new hope.
This season of Holy Lent that starts today, which once
again is a 40-day season, is actually 46-days, as we do not count Sundays, as
this is the day the Christ rose from the dead. This season developed, as I said,
out the worshipping tradition of the church, and it is not Biblically required
of us. Yet, since there are so many 40-day, 40-year, 7-day, etc. periods of
time in the Bible, the early Christian Church developed this season or period
of time leading to Good Friday, and then on to Easter Sunday.
In entering into this 40-day season of Holy Lent, we have
an opportunity to walk with Christ more deeply. We have an opportunity to walk
with Christ to the cross, to the tomb, and on Easter to the empty tomb. So, during
this 40-day season of Lent what should we do? How can we be more like Jesus in
this season of Lent? For example, what do we have too much of that we can share
with others? What in our life is a wall or a stronghold keeping us from God? If
you have anger problems, and if this keeps you from getting closer to Christ,
then maybe you need to give up Anger. Some people give up things like Chocolate
or something fun, not to torture themselves, but to remind us of who Jesus is
and what he is going to do for us all on the cross on Good Friday. This 40-day
season of Holy Lent then, is a season of repentance, of humility, and the of self-examination
of our lives and our souls. All of this is designed to draw us closer to
Christ, and to remove the things in our life that keep us from being closer to
him.
So,
on this our Ash Wednesday 2022, this first day of this season of Holy Lent, I
would challenge you, as I challenge myself, to give up and give away those
things that we do not need, and to give up those things that keep us from
getting closer to God, through Jesus Christ.
As I was writing this sermon today, I realized that when I was
going to walk into the sanctuary tonight that I would have already worked about
45-hours this week. I was in a District Committee On Ministry or DCOM meeting
last night, and one of the pastors in the meeting asked me what I am giving up
or giving away for Lent. I paused, and then I said, “Well I have been so busy
thinking about helping everyone else get ready for lent, that I haven’t really
thought about it.” Why had I not thought about it? The answer is friends
because I work too much. So once we get cleaned up from this service, I am
going home to be with my family. For this season of Lent and hopefully beyond,
I am going to try very hard with God’s help to give up excessive work. One,
because I do not want to have a heart attack, and two, because I need more time
to connect with God and my family. So, if you do not see my office lights on at
10:00 pm some nights, like they often are, it is because I went home to be with
my family and to spend some time with God.
It is so easy for us to fall into patterns, but Lent is an
opportunity to grow closer to Christ. In examining ourselves, we can see in
this season how we can grow closer to Christ and each other.
In
our reading for this evening from Psalm 51:1-17, King David is asking God to
forgive him, to cleanse him, and to blot out his transgressions and his wrong
doings. King David asks God for forgiveness, for a clean heart, and asks for God
to help him live for him (Ps. 51:1-17, NRSV). This is why on this the first day
of Lent we gather. We gather to pray, to repent, and to commit to drawing
closer to Christ.
In
our reading for tonight from 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10, the Apostle
Paul tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us to
be reconciled to God, as Christ who had no sin, will on Good Friday die for our
sins. Paul also says that as Christians and as people that sometimes we suffer
for our faith. Paul lists various ways that Christian at this point have
suffered. Yet none of our sufferings can compare to the suffering of Christ on
the cross. If we have suffered or are suffering, Christ who suffered for us,
suffers with us. So, while our suffering is real, and has likely been even more
during this pandemic, Christ is with us eternally if we but call upon him.
In our gospel of Matthew reading for tonight once again, we
hear about four different topics. We hear about giving money, praying, fasting,
and storing up treasures on earth. First, Jesus tells us to not to try to look
holy and righteous in front others or give money or alms so that everyone knows
what we give. Be holy and give, but do so for God, for Jesus, not for an
earthly reward or accolades from others (Mt. 6:1-6, NRSV). For the only one we
truly need to please is God.
Jesus continues in Matthew 6:16-21, telling us not to be miserable
when we fast. Whether we are fasting from food or something else, do not look
or act miserable just to try to show everyone how holy you are. Do it for God,
to draw closer to Christ. Likewise, Jesus tells us not to store up treasures on
earth, but rather store up treasures in heaven. Jesus ends this gospel reading
with a verse from Matthew 6:21 that really says it all. Jesus says once again:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
(Mt. 6:21, NRSV).
So tonight, my friends, brothers and
sisters, on this Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Holy Lent 2022,
I pray that we all receive “New Ashes, New Hope”! We all need it. We all need
Christ. Let this season of Lent be an opportunity to give, to love, to sacrifice,
to give up, all so that we grow closer to Christ and to each other. Happy Ash Wednesday,
and Happy Lent! Amen.
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