At the Pinnacle of the Journey into Lent: Ash Wednesday
Sharing my sermon from Ash Wednesday..
What is your mountain top experience,
That remains with you,
Such as the dust which covers your forehead
And clings to your feet
As you make that journey
Along with Jesus Christ,
In this season of Lent?
What are we willing to sacrifice,
In order to follow
Jesus Christ?
(pause)
This morning,
I spent a couple of hours
At the Homewood Metra Station
Living into that public presence,
Bringing the Church to the streets,
To the beloved people of God.
There were lots of inquisitive stares;
A couple of people rushed by
Saying
“If my train weren’t coming,
I’d get ashes!”
(pause)
There was one woman,
Who didn’t want the ashes
But asked for prayers,
Prayers and someone to listen,
As she struggled with forgiving
As she poured over worrying of a loved one,
While she admitted, of the trust issues.
When I finished praying,
She was weeping.
Sometimes we do not need to get ashes
To feel the presence of the Creator,
Who cradles
And guides
And loves US
(pause)
This is the core of Ash Wednesday,
To peel back the layers
And allow the Creator God to once more
Build us up,
From the ash,
The Ashes that come from Creation,
We, who are loved
Are woven in God’s hands with stardust,
And with earth,
(pause)
What does this process
Of being immersed in Lent
Mean for you,
Mean for us,
My sisters and brothers in Christ?
It seemingly boils down
In our understanding
That we must emulate the suffering
That Jesus Christ went through
In the wilderness for 40 days
Denying ourselves,
As a reminder,
Of the sacrifices that Jesus Christ endured
For our lives
(pause)
“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.”
And there is so much concentration
During Lent of just fasting
Throughout print, visual and social media
It’s been a part of our Christian identity for quite sometime, right?
It’s this focal point in which we gain a closer step
Towards holiness and Godliness
So, we refrain from
Eating food that we feel, is troubling or unhealthy for us.
And the spiritual practice of fasting,
Has even become commercialized
There is this diet plan called Whole 30,
That is being advertised to those who are fasting
Specifically during Lent.
Meanwhile,
There are those who are struggling
With shadows of eating disorders
And this diacodomy
Between the gluttony of Fat Tuesday
And the Scarcity of Ash Wednesday
And still,
There are those who have nothing
Except their hunger.
(pause)
But when you fast,
put oil on your head and wash your face,
so that your fasting may be seen not by others
but by God, Our Creator
I think we are remiss,
In that
Although fasting is cleansing
For our very being
Physically,
Mentally
Fasting alone,
Without prayer
Yields
Nothing.
We cannot do this alone
Fasting is not a badge,
Not a race,
But a way
To be centered
Exposed
In the presence of the One,
Who walks among us
Who comes from the lofty places
And the pathways
Into the midst of the wilderness
Where we, beloved need Him
To where the disciples
And these ancient sisters and brothers
Needed to hear
A WORD
Who comes to turn this world UPSIDE DOWN
TRANSFORMING LIFE as we know it
FOREVER!
What Good News!
So yes,
What can we offer?
What can we give up
For the One
Who would give us so much
Simply because we are loved?
(pause)
Our brother in Christ,
Pope Francis
Offers his insight
On fasting,
In this way
“Fast from hurting words,
And say kind ones
Fast from sadness,
And be filled with gratitude
Fast from pessimism
And be filled with hope
Fast from pressures,
And be prayerful
Fast from bitterness
And fill your hearts with joy
Fast from selfishness
And be compassionate to others
Fast from grudges
And be reconciled
Fast from worries,
And have trust in God.”
What are we willing to sacrifice
In order to follow
Jesus Christ,
Down that mountain trail,
And into this journey of Lent?
Everything that keeps us
From our bond with the Creator God,
Who promises never to leave us
And reminds us
In these ashes
Remember you are dust,
And
You are also LOVED.
Thanks Be to God.
