March 2 – Ash wednesday
MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-21
My question for you this Lenten evening is, “How is it with your soul?” As you walk up the aisle this evening and receive the sign of the cross on your forehead, and here the words, “Remember you are dust and to dust you will return,” I urge you to think about how it is with your soul.
Tonight, we begin the season of Lent. It is a time to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, to ask the hard questions of ourselves, and it is a time to step back and concentrate on our spiritual growth; as well as a time to repent of our sins as we move toward Easter. It is also a time to work toward constructive change in our lives.
If you think about it, repentance is about recognizing that we are going in the wrong direction and the need to turn ourselves about and head in the opposite direction. It means turning away from those things in our lives that are sinful in nature, and turning toward God and the way of life He teaches us.
In fact, this is the time when we impose the ashes on our foreheads to remind us that we are all sinners and our only hope is to receive salvation through Jesus Christ, alone. The ashes themselves, possess no magic, but are a symbolic reminder of the depth of our sin. The sign of the cross on our flesh is a reminder that the cross of Christ is able to cancel our sins and the sins of the whole world. It is a reminder that in the darkness of this world, we are not alone nor forgotten. They are also a reminder of God’s great love for each of us as Children of God, and of God’s great mercy; for no matter how we might try, we cannot escape our humanness and our sinful nature.
Lent is also a time that reminds us of the time Jesus spent in the wilderness after He was baptized by John the Baptist. It was a time of trial and testing for Jesus, just as Lent is a time for us to wonder in our own wilderness testing our own faith, and answering for ourselves, how it is with our soul. That is, where are our hearts? Are the centered on the many things of this world, or are they fully centered on Christ. Is He really first in your life? Is He always in your thoughts? Do you turn to Him often for guidance, or do you just bungle ahead in life?
Jesus tells us very plainly tonight in our Gospel lesson, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Treasures doesn’t refer to only material things, but can also refer to things such as being overly proud of our accomplishments or even our spiritual gifts. In short, treasure can be defined as anything that we focus our attention, energy, imagination, and resourcefulness on.
At Lent, it is common to give up something that is important to us. Something that is really a sacrifice that will remind us daily of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Perhaps we give up watching television during lent, or eating a particular food that we love such as chocolate. Instead of giving something us, some people add something to their everyday activities instead, such as reading a book of the Bible every week or sending cards to all those they have not seen in a long while.
All of these are great things to do, yet, we need to be careful that these practices don’t turn into something that is really about us. For example, we want others to see that we are very pious in our religious behavior, or that we are this extremely nice and caring person. In short, we need to be vigilant that they do not become our new treasure.
This is the caution Jesus is giving in the Sermon on the Mount to those who are practicing their faith in ways that are more about showing off to others than showing up with God. Jesus says, “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
As we leave here this evening, what my hope is that we may all sing these words from this lovely hymn and mean them down deep in our souls.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul
It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul
Amen