The Pastor's Sermon - Ash Wednesday - February 22, 2012

{This sermon was preached at the combined Ash Wednesday service held at Trinity Anglican Church, Aylmer. We share Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and the Easter Vigil with Trinity as well as Bible studies throughout the year.}

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

• I think that we usually see Lent is a season of doing. We fast, we give alms, we pray. In short, we “practice (our) piety.” This emphasis on “doing” can actually be the ruin of Lent. It is entirely possible that doing is not what Lent is about.
• Yes, we fast and pray and give alms and do penance in other ways. The phrase “do penance” is one possible translation of Jesus first preached message. Other translations would be “repent” or “reform your lives.” In any event, it is a far-reaching thing. We can be penitent without reforming our lives, if we set about to “do” things without a thought as to why we do them.
• The 'doings' that Jesus speaks of in our Gospel reading this evening – alms giving, prayer, and fasting – appear to be things he assumes his disciples will do. Each topic is introduced with “Whenever you...”, showing that Jesus believes that his disciples would do these things. His concern is why they would do these things. If people fast and pray and give to the poor to impress others or to shore up their reputation for piety, the reward is given to them immediately. But if these things are done “in secret”, the reward is something else than the esteem of others or an enhanced reputation.
• We might wonder what such a reward is. Maybe the reward is nothing less than God.
• Take a look at the activities recommended for Lent: prayer, fasting, and alms-giving.
• We pray to communicate with God. An old definition of prayer is “the raising of the heart and mind to God” and that's as good as any we'll come across. To pray like this, we have to surrender our heart and mind... and attention to God. In many ways, we must empty ourselves to become full of God and all that God wishes to give.
• We fast to discipline our bodies, minds, and spirits. Fasting usually means not eating or drinking a certain thing. In Lent, people often fast from some pleasurable treat, like candy or possibly some favourite food. Others moderate their intake of any or all foods. Some avoid meat or strong drink or maybe even coffee... if such a thing is possible. In our time, there are those who “fast” from television or the Internet, either of which may be harder than you think. We don't lay aside these foods or activities because they are necessarily bad for us or bad in themselves; we lay them aside in order to give our attention to something else. For some, it is a way of being in solidarity with the hungry people of the world, being hungry with the hungry. For others, it is a way of emptying themselves. For either reason and for many more, fasting reminds us that we are not self sufficient, nor are we without our distractions.
• Lastly, we give alms or give to the poor or give to charity – however we wish to name it – in order to share the bounty we've been given. How this is done can take on many, many faces and directions. Money saved from food not eaten might be given to a worthy cause. We might decide to take a certain extra portion of our budget and put it aside especially for some specific person or direction. Maybe we'd just give to whoever asks, rather than ignoring them and passing by.
• All of these “traditional” Lenten practices are not out-dated in the 21^st century. In fact, they might be more needed than ever! Our age is one that is filled with the self. (It is possible that there really has been no change in this over time; perhaps all ages have been preoccupied with the self.) Fasting, prayer, and the giving of alms all are ways to get out of our selves and leave our selves behind. It could be that God cannot enter a locked place or a packed soul. We can open ourselves up or we can wait for God to pry us open. It depends on what we want. Each year's Lent is a way to remind ourselves of God's desire to fill us and our own over-stuffed existence.
• Taking ashes on our forehead is a reminder of our mortality and our creaturely-ness. We are not God and sometimes we need to be reminded of that. Listen well to the words that accompany the signing with the ashes.
• We'll close with this short story. I subscribe to an Internet devotional for Lent and this was their first offering:
• “What’s the difference between a flute and a stick in the mud?”
  our (pastor) asked on Sunday. They then went on,
  “The stick in the mud is full of itself. The flute has been emptied of itself so it can make music.”
  ...May we each use this Lenten season as an excuse to do something that empties us of ourselves so that our lives make better music.