May the words of my mouth and the meditation of each heart be acceptable in your sight, O God, our Strength and our Redeemer.  Amen.

            It has always seemed odd to me to have a gospel reading for Ash Wednesday that talks about not practicing your piety before others.  After all, we receive an ashen cross on our foreheads that is rather hard to miss!  However, it has come to my attention that, in spite of this apparent disconnect, this gospel covers all of the things that we normally think about as the discipline of Lent.

         And so, whether we’re talking about having an ashen cross on our forehead or fasting or prayer or works of love, the underlying question in the gospel is, “For whom are we doing these things?”  Are we doing it in order to be seen by others?  Are we doing it because our parents or our pastors or the adult role models in our lives told us that we should?  Or, are we doing it in order to grow in our faith and in our relationship with God?

         I have been getting the impression lately that many people look at Lent as pretty much a list of rules that you have to follow.  So, what are some of the rules about Lent that you have learned over the years?... [No chocolate; no Alleluia; give something up; etc.]  In fact, on Sunday when I told my hockey team why I couldn’t be at the game tonight, one of them (who doesn’t even participate in a church) said to the rest of the team: “It’s Lent.  You have to give something up!”  Lent has become (at least for some people) a bunch of rules that seem totally disconnected from the reasons that you might do any of these things.

         The season of Lent is about strengthening our faith, renewing our spirit and growing in love.  It is about spending time in the wilderness with Jesus, relying on God for all that is needed.  It is about stripping away the habits and obsessions that get in our way, in order to make space for God.  It is about journeying with Jesus to the cross, reminding ourselves of how Jesus gave himself in love for our sake.

         And so, what if we were to give something up – not so that we can whine about it to others during Lent – but maybe something that might benefit others?  What if we were to give something up that actually makes more space for God in our lives?  What if we were to begin a new habit that is good for us and for others, and that might even stick once Lent is over? There are many different forms that fasting can take!

         We also might consider spending more time in prayer and worship during Lent, which is at least part of the reason that we will be gathering on Wednesdays, as well as Sundays.  It might also be a time to be more outward-looking in our prayers, focusing on the many needs in the world around us.

         As for works of love, our gospel mentions both almsgiving and storing up treasures in heaven.  And so, perhaps we could consider giving for the well-being of others.  This might mean choosing a ministry to others that we support during Lent (over and above our usual offering).  It might mean giving our time for others.  Or, perhaps we might forego some of our usual purchases in order to give that money for the benefit of others.

         Whatever we do, it is an opportunity for us to grow in faith and love and in our relationship with Jesus and with others.  It is also an opportunity for us to be honest about our own sinfulness, and about death, and about the incredible gift of new life that is ours through Jesus.  

         I close tonight with a reflection and prayer that come from Byzantine Vespers:

The Lord my Creator took me as dust from the earth,

And formed me into a living being,

Breathing into me the breath of life.

God honoured me,

Setting me as ruler upon earth over all things visible,

And made me companion of the angels.

But Satan the deceiver,

Using the serpent as instrument,

Enticed me by food—

Parted me from the glory of God,

And gave me over to the earth and to the lowest depths of the earth.

But in compassion, O Saviour, call me back again!    Amen.

(For All the Saints, Vol. III, p. 818)

Ash Wednesday                                                                  Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

February 26, 2020

St. Francis Anglican Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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