Sidney UMC - Third Sunday after the Epiphany - 01/21/24 - Sermon - “Sackcloth and Ashes!”

Sunday 01/21/24 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title: “Sackcloth and Ashes!”                  

Old Testament Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5, 10                                    

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Gospel Lesson: Mark 1:14-20

         So, I have a question for us all to think about this morning, have you ever done something really not smart or boneheaded? I mean something bad enough that it might have gotten you into big trouble? Maybe you really upset your beloved or maybe you put your foot in your mouth so deep that you could taste your sock! Anyone here ever forget a birthday? Anyone here ever forget an anniversary? Have you ever said something, and right after you said it, you realized that what you just said was not good? What did it feel like in that moment?

          The term I have heard some people say to me is, “Pastor, I’m in the dog house!” This implies that you are in so much trouble that you cannot even stay in or sleep in your house or apartment. Instead, you must sleep in the outdoor dog house, for those that have one of those. So, we might have messed up so bad that we cannot even stay in the house. That’s pretty bad!

          I am sure that we have all messed up. As I am talking then, think about a time or times that you really messed up. What did you do to reconcile that mess up? Did you make a nice dinner? Did you buy flowers? Did you grovel on your knees? Did I tell Melissa, “I think I need a time out to think about what I have done!” How did you reconcile your huge mistake or mess up?

          For some though, because of pride or something else, they might not take ownership of there mess up. Some might blame someone else, or they might even lie about what happened. I think that it is never an enjoyable experience to really mess up, and maybe after the fact, or years later we can laugh about it. In the moment though, such things can be crushing.

          I say all of this, because this morning one of our scripture readings, once again, is from the Book of Jonah. In the Book of Jonah, Jonah is a prophet called by God to warn the city of Nineveh that God might destroy their city. Sounds harsh of course, but if we are not living and loving all people like God, then God is not pleased with this reality. God is not pleased with violence, evil, and cruelty.

In the beginning of the Book of Jonah, Jonah resists God’s call to send him to have the city of Nineveh repent. Jonah instead paid to get on a ship going to Tarshish, but then a great storm came when the ship was sailing there. Jonah gets thrown into the sea, and a large fish, via God, swallows Jonah. Jonah is in the fish for three days, and the fish then spews him out onto dry land. Jonah then follows God’s call on his life to tell the city of Nineveh to repent. In looking at our Book of Jonah reading 3:1-5, 10 for this morning, we read this starting in Jonah 3:1, as it says once again:

3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, ² ‘Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.’ ³ So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. ⁴ Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, ‘Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ ⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth (Jonah, 3:1-5, NRSV).

 

          So, the entire city of Nineveh, from king down to the servants, thousands of people, repented. The whole city. Not just some, but everyone. Imagine if all of us, and if the whole world today apologized and reconciled with each other. Imagine if we forgave, if we asked for forgiveness, if we turned to God, and if were reconciled to each other. If we are all made in God’s image, then we are all God’s creation, and we are all worthy of dignity and respect.

Well, as the story goes in the Book of Jonah, once again, not only did the whole city of Nineveh repent, but they got put on sackcloth for clothes, which makes me often think of those large coffee bean sacks. That burlap and brown weaved material. The people get into this as a sign of the humility and their lowliness. In fact, Jonah 3:6, which was not part of our reading for this morning, picks up saying:

⁶ When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷ Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. ⁸ Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. ⁹ Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish.’ ¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it (Jonah 3:6-10, NRSV).

          The people of Nineveh were turning from God and worshipping idols. God called upon the prophet Jonah to tell them to repent and turn to God. In response, the people of the city of Nineveh repented from there evil and violent ways, and God spared the city of Nineveh. How many of us have things in our lives that we have to repent of or turn away from. How many of us are humble enough to wear sackcloth and ashes? We are completely dependent upon God, and so humble before God, that we will would wear sackcloth and ashes.

          Our season of Lent, the season of preparation for the crucifixion and death of Christ, leading to Christ’s resurrection on Easter, in some Christian traditions starts with Ash Wednesday. Our annual Ash Wednesday service will be on Wednesday February 14^th at 6:00 PM. Yes, this in on Valentine’s Day. No, I will not be putting ash hearts on your foreheads, but crosses. Ash Wednesday marks in many Christian traditions the beginning of the holy season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is not required of us by Holy Scripture, yet wearing ashes is in holy scripture. It is in places like Jonah chapter 3 for this morning. Symbolically then, on Ash Wednesday we wear ashes to show us and the world that we are penitent, seeking to be holy and righteous, seeking to be like Christ, even though we all often fall short. Sackcloth and ashes are signs of repentance, humility, and turning to God. It does not shock me then that over the centuries, ashes became incorporated into the start of the season of Lent, as the people of Nineveh and others wore ashes.

Later in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible in Book of Nahum however, the city of Nineveh reverted back to their old ways, and the city was destroyed by God. They had turned from evil and sin, but then they turned back to evil and sin. We say a prayer of confession every time before we have Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, because we are call continually trying to be more like Jesus Christ. Further, some struggle with God in the Old Testament, as there is often so much violence, killing, and destruction. To say we struggle with entire cities getting destroyed or entire groups of people getting destroyed is something many of us struggle with. The big takeaway is this though, a loving parent expects their children’s love and respect. What happens if we disrespect, hate, or even reject a loving parent. This is the saga the Jewish people all throughout the Old Testament. Turning to and turning from God.

          When some of us misbehaved as kids, I am sure the consequences from our parents were varied, but sometimes they were not good. We also hear in our reading from 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 for this morning, once again that our time on this this earth is not infinite, but finite. In fact, our 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 reading for this morning says, once again:

²⁹ I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, ³⁰ and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, ³¹ and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away                  (1 Cor. 7:29-31, NRSV).

          We all need food, shelter, clothing, but the things of this world are temporary. God wanted the love and the devotion of the people of the city of Nineveh, but they turned to greed, idolatry, and violence, as they were only thinking about today and not eternity. God is eternal and is always there, but unfortunately our earthly family is will not always be here on earth. Neither are we. Everyday let us strive to live holy and righteous lives, that love others the way that Jesus loves us. In my opinion, being like Jesus can’t wait, because if it does, Sidney and the world suffers more. Nineveh remembered this, and then forgot this. Faith in Christ is not only the free give of salvation and eternal life, but it is also a continued pursuit of holy and righteous living and loving.

          This leads me to our gospel of Mark 1:14-20 reading for this morning. Our gospel lesson begins once again with Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist getting arrested for causing such a stir with his call to repentance and baptism. John the Baptist was preparing the way for his cousin, Jesus, the messiah, the savior of the world. Starting in Mark 1:14, the gospel says, once again:

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, ¹⁵ and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news’ (Mk. 1:14-15, NRSV).

          Much like God called the prophet Jonah to tell the people of the city of Nineveh to repent, Jesus tells us to repent, and to believe in the good news of his gospel. Repenting sometimes is seen as this harsh and judgmental thing. I don’t think it is though. Jesus is telling us to turn away from the bad, the hurtful, and the harmful things that we are doing. We are all called to turn away from sin and darkness, to turn away from anger and violence, for Jesus is the light the world. Live like Christ, and lose your bigotries, your greed, and etc.

Some might be offended by Jesus’ call to repent and to follow him, but since so many people repented of there sin and were baptized by John the Baptist, it seems obvious that we all know that we are not completely there yet. Salvation and eternity are free through Christ, but sanctification or being completely made into the image of Christ, for most of us, is something we strive after are whole life long. Shedding things that are not of God, and becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Whether we have messed up with our beloved, at work, or somewhere else, may we be humble, repentant, and desirous for forgiveness and reconciliation.

          Our gospel of Mark 1:14-20 reading for this morning then ends with 1:16-20, which is Jesus calling his first disciples. Picking back in in 1:16 through 1:20, it says, once again:

¹⁶ As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ ¹⁸ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹ As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. ²⁰ Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him (Mk. 1:16-20, NRSV).

          Jesus will go on to call twelve disciples. Jesus will pour into them, train them, and prepare them to call the world to repent to be like him. These disciples, like us will not be perfect, but they will preach, live, and teach about the one who is perfect. Even though the disciples will continue to mess up and make mistakes sometimes, they will call people to holiness, righteousness, and be like Jesus.

          I don’t know about you, but since Jesus gave up everything for us, what would we do for him? What we would do for those we love? Would we be willing to even wear sackcloth and ashes, so that the world would know we seek to be reconciled to each other, to God, and to be more like Jesus Christ? I know I want to be more and more like Jesus. I know that I am not what I was, and hopefully tomorrow I am better than I am today. I know Christ, I am saved by Christ, but I am continuing to become more like Christ. The more I do, the less arrogance I have, the less pride I have, for Jesus has called us all to repent and believe in the Good News. Sometimes this repentance even goes as far as wearing “Sackcloth and Ashes”. Amen.