The cross of repentance
Commentary
Mardi Gras! Festivals of light! Great crowds gathering to have fun. Costumes, dancing, the good times a'rolling! That's what occurs at this time of year in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, and all over the world as people celebrate and load up on all those fats that Shrove Tuesday dishes out. Out East they celebrate Fascht Naucht (Fat Night) by cooking homemade donuts in bubbling fat, heaping heavy syrup on pancakes, and gorging themselves on high caloric goodies. This tradition comes from the Old World, where the night before Lent the family would use up all the fats in the pantry in preparation for a time of fasting. The focus in these situations is on enjoyment, celebration, filling your cup to the brim before "The Day." Well, today is "The Day." In the church we celebrate today as Ash Wednesday. The frivolity and merriment have died down. The feasts have left many with feelings of regret. The focus has abruptly changed. We now enter the season of Lent.
In order for us to switch our focus, it would be helpful to zero in on a physical object which would enable us to grasp hold of a focal point. For us in this Lenten series, it will be the cross. Crosses come in all shapes and sizes. Churches display a variety. Most are not one-sided. Some are large, wooden, displaying many angles where carpenters have arranged the pieces of wood to appeal to the eye. Some are a combination of metal and wood with bursts of ornamentation attached for decoration. Many today wear crosses, which can be ornate, studded with jewels, simple gold or silver, crucifixes, wood, or crosses with doves or flames, or crosses of nails. The list can go on and on. The variety of the crosses reflects the differences in the ones who wear them, for they have usually been selected to make statements about piety. But have you ever given thought to the different aspects of the cross of Jesus Christ and its application to you?
Lent is a time to journey to the cross. The cross of Christ may be approached from many angles. In college, the cross is presented as history. In our seminaries, the cross is presented as theology. For missionaries, the cross is the gospel. For most, the cross is forgiveness. Some see the cross as prayer in time of necessity. The cross can be discipline. For priests, nuns, pastors, and all believers committed to the Lord Jesus, the cross is a way of life. The cross is comfort. The cross is sorrow. The cross is hope. The cross is mystery. The cross is death.
Thomas ö Kempis, a great theologian, gives us a good summary of the cross. "In the cross is salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection against our enemies, in the cross is strength of mind, in the cross is joy of spirit, in the cross is the height of virtue, in the cross is the perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of the soul, nor hope of everlasting life, but in the cross ... Take up therefore thy cross and follow Jesus, and thou shalt go into life everlasting."
The cross for the Christian is the symbol of the sacrifice of Christ. It represents the tool which killed the Lamb of God. We cannot obtain salvation or hope of eternal life without recognizing the work of Christ upon that cross. The series we are about to embark on will deal with the many-sided cross. Tonight's journey begins with Ash Wednesday, traditionally a time for confession and absolution as we turn from our sins and acknowledge our need for a savior. The side of the cross we will examine first will be the cross of repentance, for there can be no journey to Easter morning without passing through Good Friday and lingering at the foot of the cross in repentance.
From our first reading we hear the words of the Lord, "Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." The prophet calls upon God's people to repent, to turn the whole self to God, and perhaps, the calamity which is going to befall them might be averted. The calamity for us is a life separated from God. A life that sees no hope. A life that does not lead to salvation, but to judgment and damnation. That is the end result of an unrepentant life. The seeds we sow in this life will bear the fruits we will have to eat in the next. When we sow bitterness, hatred, deceitfulness, or injustice, why should we expect to be filled with any different fruits in the next life? When we live our lives separated from God, why should we expect to live eternally united with him following our death? Any life „ this one or the next „ spent separated from our Lord and Savior „ is a life of darkness, of hopelessness „ a living hell.
Is that, therefore, the basis of the prophet's call to repentance? Is it the action of the people that will cause God to change his mind? This prophet states that it is the reverse. Repentance is based on God's prior action to and for his people. Our Father is merciful and gracious. David pleas from our psalm tonight, confirming that: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions." He recognizes the qualities of mercy and compassion that God gives to his children. Uppermost in the mind of God is the well-being of his people. God loved his people so much that he continued to call them to himself in love through his prophets. He calls to us today through Jesus. God's action rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ establishes a relationship of trust and obedience between our Creator and his creations. Living in this personal relationship with him, we are called to the cross of repentance not just tonight, but throughout our lives. Salvation is based upon that love for us, because God first loved us through Jesus, his death and resurrection. God judges us in the face of repentance. Choosing to live an unrepentant life makes an enemy of the cross in our denial of God's purpose of salvation. But because God loves us, he will not force us or beat us or scare us into the decision of embracing the cross of Christ. Accepting the gift of salvation in Christ by believing in Jesus and repenting of our sinfulness is a matter of our own free election.
To believe, we know, is to put our whole love and trust in Jesus the Christ. But what is this thing that we call "repentance"? Why do we first need to look at the cross from this angle?
"I'm sorry," we have often heard others as well as ourselves say. As children, we learn quickly that a well placed "I'm sorry" will avert the hand of punishment. All too soon that phrase loses its significance and simply becomes part of our everyday vocabulary. The phrase becomes trite when no time is spent in reflection upon it. Whether as children or adults, we do not like to face our mistakes or sins. There are scores of books and articles written to encourage us as individuals to feel good about ourselves. They may even suggest that serious reflection on our mistakes is a downer that we don't need in life. Isn't saying, "I'm sorry," good enough?
No! It is not! To repent means to feel remorse or self-reproach for what we have done or failed to do. It also means that we want to change our lives so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Repentance is a spiritual, physical, and emotional experience that corrects our relationship with God. Repentance removes the barriers that we, ourselves, have put up between ourselves and God. Repentance is not an option that we may take or leave. It is a must, the first step toward the cross. If we wish to be close to our Lord and Savior, we must take that initial step toward Calvary.
Jesus describes for us how to take this step toward repentance in our gospel. There are three aspects involved: denial of self (almsgiving), prayer, and fasting. Certainly an essential part of repentance is the denial of self. The gospel speaks on the posture, the manner, to be taken when giving. We know that on our own, we are totally unworthy of salvation. There is absolutely nothing we can do to win God's forgiveness. As repentant Christians, our response to the gift of salvation is giving. We give, we share, we serve because we were first served and given to. One part of the uneasiness of repentance is our attitude about that giving. Tonight's gospel concludes with the reminder "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Repentance requires that we seek God's will and ways and not the approval or admiration of the crowd. God's will revealed in Jesus Christ must be where our treasure lies.
Repentance also involves prayer. We need to converse daily with God. Prayer is that form of conversation. One of its many parts needs to be the asking of forgiveness. The gospel reminds us that prayer is not done to impress the public, but to reconcile our broken relationship with God. We need to evaluate our prayers. If they have become an easy "I'm sorry," and we no longer feel the sting of our sin, then we need to do some honest, hard work. Through thoughtful examination of the spiritual condition of our souls in prayer, we need to seek God's will for us as we earnestly confess and receive forgiveness. We need to linger at the foot of the cross and view it from the proper angle. We need to sit still long enough to get the right perspective on our attitude toward sin and Christ. We need to pause long enough to hear the words, "Father, forgive them." For in hearing those words, we will cry out, "Forgive me."
In the ancient church, fasting was also an important part of repentance and preparation during the Lenten season. It was seen as a spiritual discipline. Often it meant only one meal per day, spending the rest of the day in prayer. Fasting was also to be a vivid reminder of what Jesus endured for our salvation. In an era of instant gratification, such a pause could greatly improve our spiritual health.
Humans have always had the tendency to be lazy and to avoid responsibility. Modern society seems to put a great emphasis on having a good time, regardless of the moral issues involved. All of us are tempted to ignore God's will and serve our own. We are tempted to leap to Easter morning without stopping at the cross of Good Friday. Therefore, Ash Wednesday is the time to stop the running and the denial. Tonight we need to honestly begin the process of working on repentance. In this Lenten season, may we grasp the many angles of the cross of Christ. Let us repent and believe, for in that call we will obtain eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Isn't that gift worth a whole lot more than a casual "I'm sorry"?
May the cross of repentance be engraved upon our hearts and minds tonight and linger throughout the week, until we gaze upon the cross again from a different angle. In his precious name. Amen.
Reprinted from "The Many-Sided Cross," by Cynthia E. Cowen, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 1991, 1-55673-285-6.
In order for us to switch our focus, it would be helpful to zero in on a physical object which would enable us to grasp hold of a focal point. For us in this Lenten series, it will be the cross. Crosses come in all shapes and sizes. Churches display a variety. Most are not one-sided. Some are large, wooden, displaying many angles where carpenters have arranged the pieces of wood to appeal to the eye. Some are a combination of metal and wood with bursts of ornamentation attached for decoration. Many today wear crosses, which can be ornate, studded with jewels, simple gold or silver, crucifixes, wood, or crosses with doves or flames, or crosses of nails. The list can go on and on. The variety of the crosses reflects the differences in the ones who wear them, for they have usually been selected to make statements about piety. But have you ever given thought to the different aspects of the cross of Jesus Christ and its application to you?
Lent is a time to journey to the cross. The cross of Christ may be approached from many angles. In college, the cross is presented as history. In our seminaries, the cross is presented as theology. For missionaries, the cross is the gospel. For most, the cross is forgiveness. Some see the cross as prayer in time of necessity. The cross can be discipline. For priests, nuns, pastors, and all believers committed to the Lord Jesus, the cross is a way of life. The cross is comfort. The cross is sorrow. The cross is hope. The cross is mystery. The cross is death.
Thomas ö Kempis, a great theologian, gives us a good summary of the cross. "In the cross is salvation, in the cross is life, in the cross is protection against our enemies, in the cross is strength of mind, in the cross is joy of spirit, in the cross is the height of virtue, in the cross is the perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of the soul, nor hope of everlasting life, but in the cross ... Take up therefore thy cross and follow Jesus, and thou shalt go into life everlasting."
The cross for the Christian is the symbol of the sacrifice of Christ. It represents the tool which killed the Lamb of God. We cannot obtain salvation or hope of eternal life without recognizing the work of Christ upon that cross. The series we are about to embark on will deal with the many-sided cross. Tonight's journey begins with Ash Wednesday, traditionally a time for confession and absolution as we turn from our sins and acknowledge our need for a savior. The side of the cross we will examine first will be the cross of repentance, for there can be no journey to Easter morning without passing through Good Friday and lingering at the foot of the cross in repentance.
From our first reading we hear the words of the Lord, "Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." The prophet calls upon God's people to repent, to turn the whole self to God, and perhaps, the calamity which is going to befall them might be averted. The calamity for us is a life separated from God. A life that sees no hope. A life that does not lead to salvation, but to judgment and damnation. That is the end result of an unrepentant life. The seeds we sow in this life will bear the fruits we will have to eat in the next. When we sow bitterness, hatred, deceitfulness, or injustice, why should we expect to be filled with any different fruits in the next life? When we live our lives separated from God, why should we expect to live eternally united with him following our death? Any life „ this one or the next „ spent separated from our Lord and Savior „ is a life of darkness, of hopelessness „ a living hell.
Is that, therefore, the basis of the prophet's call to repentance? Is it the action of the people that will cause God to change his mind? This prophet states that it is the reverse. Repentance is based on God's prior action to and for his people. Our Father is merciful and gracious. David pleas from our psalm tonight, confirming that: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions." He recognizes the qualities of mercy and compassion that God gives to his children. Uppermost in the mind of God is the well-being of his people. God loved his people so much that he continued to call them to himself in love through his prophets. He calls to us today through Jesus. God's action rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ establishes a relationship of trust and obedience between our Creator and his creations. Living in this personal relationship with him, we are called to the cross of repentance not just tonight, but throughout our lives. Salvation is based upon that love for us, because God first loved us through Jesus, his death and resurrection. God judges us in the face of repentance. Choosing to live an unrepentant life makes an enemy of the cross in our denial of God's purpose of salvation. But because God loves us, he will not force us or beat us or scare us into the decision of embracing the cross of Christ. Accepting the gift of salvation in Christ by believing in Jesus and repenting of our sinfulness is a matter of our own free election.
To believe, we know, is to put our whole love and trust in Jesus the Christ. But what is this thing that we call "repentance"? Why do we first need to look at the cross from this angle?
"I'm sorry," we have often heard others as well as ourselves say. As children, we learn quickly that a well placed "I'm sorry" will avert the hand of punishment. All too soon that phrase loses its significance and simply becomes part of our everyday vocabulary. The phrase becomes trite when no time is spent in reflection upon it. Whether as children or adults, we do not like to face our mistakes or sins. There are scores of books and articles written to encourage us as individuals to feel good about ourselves. They may even suggest that serious reflection on our mistakes is a downer that we don't need in life. Isn't saying, "I'm sorry," good enough?
No! It is not! To repent means to feel remorse or self-reproach for what we have done or failed to do. It also means that we want to change our lives so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Repentance is a spiritual, physical, and emotional experience that corrects our relationship with God. Repentance removes the barriers that we, ourselves, have put up between ourselves and God. Repentance is not an option that we may take or leave. It is a must, the first step toward the cross. If we wish to be close to our Lord and Savior, we must take that initial step toward Calvary.
Jesus describes for us how to take this step toward repentance in our gospel. There are three aspects involved: denial of self (almsgiving), prayer, and fasting. Certainly an essential part of repentance is the denial of self. The gospel speaks on the posture, the manner, to be taken when giving. We know that on our own, we are totally unworthy of salvation. There is absolutely nothing we can do to win God's forgiveness. As repentant Christians, our response to the gift of salvation is giving. We give, we share, we serve because we were first served and given to. One part of the uneasiness of repentance is our attitude about that giving. Tonight's gospel concludes with the reminder "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Repentance requires that we seek God's will and ways and not the approval or admiration of the crowd. God's will revealed in Jesus Christ must be where our treasure lies.
Repentance also involves prayer. We need to converse daily with God. Prayer is that form of conversation. One of its many parts needs to be the asking of forgiveness. The gospel reminds us that prayer is not done to impress the public, but to reconcile our broken relationship with God. We need to evaluate our prayers. If they have become an easy "I'm sorry," and we no longer feel the sting of our sin, then we need to do some honest, hard work. Through thoughtful examination of the spiritual condition of our souls in prayer, we need to seek God's will for us as we earnestly confess and receive forgiveness. We need to linger at the foot of the cross and view it from the proper angle. We need to sit still long enough to get the right perspective on our attitude toward sin and Christ. We need to pause long enough to hear the words, "Father, forgive them." For in hearing those words, we will cry out, "Forgive me."
In the ancient church, fasting was also an important part of repentance and preparation during the Lenten season. It was seen as a spiritual discipline. Often it meant only one meal per day, spending the rest of the day in prayer. Fasting was also to be a vivid reminder of what Jesus endured for our salvation. In an era of instant gratification, such a pause could greatly improve our spiritual health.
Humans have always had the tendency to be lazy and to avoid responsibility. Modern society seems to put a great emphasis on having a good time, regardless of the moral issues involved. All of us are tempted to ignore God's will and serve our own. We are tempted to leap to Easter morning without stopping at the cross of Good Friday. Therefore, Ash Wednesday is the time to stop the running and the denial. Tonight we need to honestly begin the process of working on repentance. In this Lenten season, may we grasp the many angles of the cross of Christ. Let us repent and believe, for in that call we will obtain eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Isn't that gift worth a whole lot more than a casual "I'm sorry"?
May the cross of repentance be engraved upon our hearts and minds tonight and linger throughout the week, until we gaze upon the cross again from a different angle. In his precious name. Amen.
Reprinted from "The Many-Sided Cross," by Cynthia E. Cowen, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 1991, 1-55673-285-6.
