Planning for the Future One Day at a Time
Commentary
Have a good Lent. I hope that this time of re-assessment of our attitudes and behaviors is a time when you will find yourself being renewed in spirit and closer to our Lord.
This is the time in the Christian year when we are counseled to repent – to turn again, away from the world which tries to consume us, and toward the God who loves us. We are called to come and visit our Heavenly Father on a regular basis. We are invited to come and sit on our God’s lap and confide our deepest misgivings to Him.
Unlike Christmas, which we have pretty much turned over to the children and their hopes for toys and sweets from jolly old St. Nicholas, Easter invites us to the graveyard, where we can cry out our failings and the pain of loss and fear. We can be honest with our God in the silence found amid the graves and divest ourselves of all our pretenses. We can list our sins and ask for forgiveness in the certainty that God has promised to be kind to us as we do that. We may also admit our anger toward God and forgive God for all the times we asked for things and felt unheard; for all the times we were told “No;” for all the times we suffered despite our begging for help; for all the times we lost people and felt bereft. For all these reasons, we need to forgive God as much as we need God to forgive us.
So, let us set a plan for Lent this year. Let us forgive others, starting with God and include forgiving ourselves. Let us not give up special treats entirely; rather, let us give up beating ourselves up over our feelings of inadequacy. Let us not spend all of Lent tabulating our shortcomings; let us make two columns, so we can also enumerate our strengths. Let us give up the past, with all of its bad memories, and plan for the future, one day at a time. Let us do at least one thing each day that makes us happy. And let us then thank God for our happiness.
Have a good Lent.
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
This is, arguably one of the fine, old hymns of the people of God, both Jewish and Christian:
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
…[for] the day of the LORD is coming, it is near –
…. Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly.
Gather the people and sanctify the community;
Assemble the aged and gather the children ….
[L]et the priests, the minsters of the LORD, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD…”
However, too often we sing it as a song of triumph, when the sound of the trumpet on the tops of the hills is not a joyful sound, but an urgent warning of imminent disaster. The people of God are to be gathered immediately (note the call for the bridegroom to leave his room, and the bride her canopy – even as the families are coming to celebrate a wedding, as the bride is putting rest of God’s people). This is not a time to rejoice, but to repent.
The trumpet is sounding an alarm, a warning that an army has assembled on the hills to attack the nation. It is calling the people to prayer and fasting and the offering of animal sacrifices and grain offerings:
Prayer, to call on God for protection;
Fasting, to remind us that we are dependent on God and to open us to God’s Spirit;
Sacrifices, to remind us that since God has given us everything we have, we can surrender the things we need to sustain life, trusting God to supply us with everything we need.
The Israelites were expected to believe the watchers on the hills that danger was at hand, even if they could not yet see it, and respond accordingly. I cannot help but think about those people who are warned that a hurricane is approaching, or a wildfire, or Covid-19, or an attack on our nation’s capitol but refuse to co-operate. Sirens are sounding, the police are going from neighborhood to neighborhood with loudspeakers, barriers are erected, and yet there are always some who will not leave. What would we have to do to get an appropriate response?
We are living in dangerous times. It has been clear for some time that there are deep divisions in our country. Supposedly Christian people are calling for a civil war, perhaps a race war, because they feel disenfranchised. Where is their faith, that they believe they have to kill everyone who disagrees with them, or die themselves?
There are those who believe that the church ought not to engage in political discourse because they fear that a divide will open and inevitably lead to fighting over issues which will split us into two or more camps who cannot stand to talk to one another. While talking things over, if done poorly, can in fact divide us (I belong to one of those churches facing schism because of an inability to communicate without rancor), a reasoned and respectful dialogue should at least lead us to understanding one another, and stop us from denigrating those with whom we disagree.
The first step is to look more closely at v.13 of this hymn, which says “Yet even now, says God, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping. . .rend [rip] your hearts and not your clothing.”1 We tend to misunderstand Paul’s words that we Christians must “be of one mind.”
The answer to dissention and alienation from one another is simple. We must open our hearts to one another, telling one another what we’re afraid of. We need to create pockets of trust, where we can express our viewpoints without fear that we will be ostracized. We must learn how to listen with respect to others’ differing opinion, not interrupting or beating each other with words or even real, physical blows. We need to turn down our tempers and speak with as much moderation as we can muster. Perhaps we need to hire outside mediators to oversee our times of disagreement, helping us understand our differing points of view.
When I first came into the ministry, I was convinced that the biggest problem facing the church is language. Some of us talk about an epiphany; others say we must be born again. Where is the difference since both phrases point to us coming to a new understanding of ourselves and God? In one interview, a seasoned pastor said, “Sandra, you have a way of framing the most liberal theology in the most conservative language! I’ve never before heard anyone who consistently does this, and you do it so well!” Whether or not he meant it as a compliment, I said, “Thank you! I’ve worked at it.”
After more than thirty years in the ministry and ten years of writing, I am not that hopeful that we can overcome our differences simply by changing our language. Recent events in our nation’s capitol have proven that those who have been calling for civil or race wars over the past ten years are quite willing to leave discussion behind and to take up weapons and beat each other to death. This isn’t as frightening to me as it makes me deeply sad.
Yes, Jesus despaired of his disciples not “getting it” when he told them parables. Yes, he got into arguments with the Pharisees. Yes, he dumped over the tables in the temple. Yes, Paul and Peter disagreed with each other over the inclusion of Gentiles in the churches – even to the point of not being able to talk to each other -- until God gave Peter a vision2 that superseded even the scriptures.
We really need better communication skills and fewer times when we “tell off” one another. How can it be that we cannot find a middle way, that we each can demand our viewpoint be the viewpoint of every Christian, in the face of these scripture readings?
Perhaps we need to eat a little “humble pie” on a daily basis. Maybe we can admit that we are all – everyone of us – sinners in need of repentance. It might be a good idea for us to call ‘a solemn assembly’ to mourn for our country, our state, our neighborhood and ourselves so that we can allow a difference of opinion to not be fatal. Our nation is too large to expect that everyone will have the same idea, the same solution, the same approach, the same love for one another. At some point, we have to allow others to disagree with us without being mocked, labeled and beaten in the name of God. The alternatives are too awful to consider.
2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10
Paul calls us “ambassadors of Christ.” The job of ambassador is a highly skilled job. The person chosen to be our ambassador to England, for example, needs to be aware of the protocols for meeting royalty, one of which is “one does not touch the queen.” She will offer her hand if she wishes after one has bowed or curtsied. Hugging is not part of the greeting protocols. Oops!
An ambassador represents their home country, and that means to always behave in the best possible way, so that people who meet them have a good opinion of the country they represent.
Ambassadors have no authority of their own. They represent their leader and the laws and customs of their native land. In other words, they don’t get to make things up as they go along. They are required to say what the leader of their country wants them to say. No ambassador ought to convey, by word or glance, that they disagree with what they’ve been told to say. If it gets to the point where they are in strict disagreement with their government or leader, the ambassador has to clear that up with the person who tells them what to do. “Did I misunderstand what you were saying? Because I don’t think I want to say what you’re telling me to say, and I thought the Senate had passed a measure that says something quite different,” etc. And if one seriously disagrees with the policy, one needs to quit, rather than betray one’s country.
If we are Christ’s ambassadors, then we need to represent God’s message for the world. And that message sometimes conflicts with what we, personally, want to convey. We have to convey God’s love for all humankind. Even when disaster is imminent, we have to convey God’s love in the midst of pain and suffering. We cannot say, “Repent, or God will kill you all and send you into the fiery pit!” That message may satisfy our anger about the way things are going, but it does not reflect God’s message of salvation. Paul says, “We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry.”
How tempting it is, sometimes, to thunder and roar like the Old Testament prophets! How good it feels, as we practice next Sunday’s sermon, to announce the punishments God has in mind for their sins! After a hard church council meeting, how pleasing it is to tell them off in our imaginations. (Well, maybe that’s just me.)
As we read the sixth chapter, it sounds as though that’s what Paul’s first draft did. He has a long list of what he has been subjected to: “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger.” Does none of this move the Corinthians? They are a stubborn lot if they aren’t ashamed that Paul has gone through all of this for the sake of their reconciliation with God, only to see them continue in their sinful path.
Paul does not tell them they’ve all lost their salvation. He tells them, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
He is referring, of course, to God’s care of us who attempt, however poorly, to follow Christ, to walk as he walked and talk as he talked. And lest we think, “Well, I made a resolution to give up one of my sins,” Paul lists some of the fruits of God’s Spirit that we ought to be practicing: “purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God.” We are not expected to do all this easily, on our own. That is why so many of our “New Year’s Resolutions” are already forgotten. We think we have to do them on our own, and the result is failure by week three.
If we would look at ourselves and see where we have gone wrong (rather than looking at others with an accusing eye), then we, too, might come to repentance and take advantage of God’s love today, this very minute, and thus to live as people who have been saved from certain destruction.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Giving alms. Do we give to charities? Do we pay attention to those who are asking us for money, to make sure they’re reliable? It’s so easy to give, with begging e-mails popping up daily. One day, I started to give to an organization when I realized suddenly that this was not the group I had given to in the past. The name was nearly the same, but the organization was different. I repented (turned around) and cancelled my donation and asked them to send me a financial statement. It’s been two months, and they haven’t answered me. Being a good steward means more than “give;” it means to give responsibly.
When and where do we pray? I like to pray before I eat, but I don’t want to look like a Pharisee, making a big deal about praying as I begin to eat in a restaurant. But if I don’t, what kind of a witness am I being? Shouldn’t Christians be an example for others? Doesn’t Jesus say that, too? The thing is, Jesus is objecting to is not a quiet prayer as the food is delivered to us in our favorite eatery; he calls those whom he has in mind hypocrites. In Greek, actors. Then why make a production out of prayer when out with friends? On the other hand, it might be a good idea to pray at a business lunch….3
One word of warning to pass on to those listening to your sermon: if you talk to God privately, be prepared for God to talk to you. Maybe that’s the very reason Jesus says to pray secretly, in your own room. So the shock of hearing from God can be handled in private.
Fasting is one of those things that many Protestants have given up. And not just for Lent. I used to be amazed that my parishioners would ask me, “Isn’t that kind of … Catholic? I mean, none of our other pastors ever talked about fasting.” “Pastor, could you preach about how to fast?” “What’s the point of fasting, pastor? I suppose it’s good to fast if we then send the money saved to food programs. But what does it do for us?”
How difficult it is to be Christian and rich. In this case, I’m calling us rich if we have enough to eat and don’t have to worry about tomorrow’s lunch. I’m calling us rich if we can afford meat every day of the week. I’m calling us rich if we aren’t sure how much our average grocery bill is. Never mind wearing ashes or looking hungry to get others to look at us and consider us to be holy.4 In Jesus’ day, most people had little meat, saving that for special occasions. Bread was the food most people had enough of.
As people kept asking questions about the custom of fasting, I found myself talking about the custom of being marked with a cross of ashes on the forehead. I explained that when we look in a mirror, the ashes remind us that we are fasting, and that the reason for fasting is to remind ourselves that without God, no amount of food can satisfy. People liked that idea, and so we tried it one Ash Wednesday. The congregation found it to be a call to holiness and asked for the anointing to be part of our Ash Wednesday services from then on. Everything old is new again.
Where our treasure is, there our heart(s) will be also.
There is a good illustration of this in a rom-com movie titled Leap Year. In this film, the heroine is getting tired of waiting for her boyfriend to propose to her. So, she gets on a plane and flies to Ireland, where he is on a business trip, to propose to him on the 29th of February.
Once in Ireland, she faces a multitude of obstacles to get to Dublin. She misses her train, her suitcase is stolen, finds that there is no train to Dublin on the 28th, because it’s Sunday. Salvation appears in the form of a very good-looking Irishman (of course). But he thinks her quest is ridiculous. At one point he makes a comment that the way to know a man’s heart is to see what he would rescue from a fire.
As soon as her fiancé sees her, he gets down on one knee in the hotel lobby and asks her to marry him. Being ‘a romantic’ she says yes, even though she’s torn between the two men.
By the time they get home, she is excited to show off her engagement ring. But her fiancé makes her stop and think again, when he says, “Well, when I was told that we couldn’t have the apartment unless we were married (the folks in this building evidently are old fashioned about that) I thought, “What the heck, might as well get married too.” She walks over to the fire alarm and pulls it. Everyone is rushing around to get their coats gloves and exit the building, but her fiancé starts picking up all of his electronics – laptop, phone, tablet – and hasn’t even checked to see if she’s all right. And that’s her moment of truth. He valued his things over her.
Lent is a time for us to re-evaluate our lives, even our customs. It is a time to listen more closely to these words of Jesus and let them frame (or re-frame) our lives in Christ. The hope is that by the time we get to Good Friday, we will be grateful for all that God has done for us. And on Easter, we will be willing to believe the message of the resurrection.
1 The tearing of one’s clothing was an act of mourning, an expression of grief, and has ancient roots. See: Matthew 26:65. The High Priest tore his clothes, not in anger only, but in mourning at Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. Blasphemy may arouse anger, but we ought also to be grief-stricken at the fallenness of the blashphemer.
2 Acts 10:9-16
3 I’m being funny. It’s a joke. Or is it?
4 Interestingly, the fact that so many Protestant churches long ago dropped marking foreheads with a thumbprint or cross of ash has given the custom an entirely new meaning. Rather than being a mark that tells others we are fasting, it has become a personal reminder that we are to be humble as we fast. Every time we look in a mirror, there is the ash on our foreheads, reminding us of the sacrifice God made on our behalf.
This is the time in the Christian year when we are counseled to repent – to turn again, away from the world which tries to consume us, and toward the God who loves us. We are called to come and visit our Heavenly Father on a regular basis. We are invited to come and sit on our God’s lap and confide our deepest misgivings to Him.
Unlike Christmas, which we have pretty much turned over to the children and their hopes for toys and sweets from jolly old St. Nicholas, Easter invites us to the graveyard, where we can cry out our failings and the pain of loss and fear. We can be honest with our God in the silence found amid the graves and divest ourselves of all our pretenses. We can list our sins and ask for forgiveness in the certainty that God has promised to be kind to us as we do that. We may also admit our anger toward God and forgive God for all the times we asked for things and felt unheard; for all the times we were told “No;” for all the times we suffered despite our begging for help; for all the times we lost people and felt bereft. For all these reasons, we need to forgive God as much as we need God to forgive us.
So, let us set a plan for Lent this year. Let us forgive others, starting with God and include forgiving ourselves. Let us not give up special treats entirely; rather, let us give up beating ourselves up over our feelings of inadequacy. Let us not spend all of Lent tabulating our shortcomings; let us make two columns, so we can also enumerate our strengths. Let us give up the past, with all of its bad memories, and plan for the future, one day at a time. Let us do at least one thing each day that makes us happy. And let us then thank God for our happiness.
Have a good Lent.
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
This is, arguably one of the fine, old hymns of the people of God, both Jewish and Christian:
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
…[for] the day of the LORD is coming, it is near –
…. Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly.
Gather the people and sanctify the community;
Assemble the aged and gather the children ….
[L]et the priests, the minsters of the LORD, weep.
Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD…”
However, too often we sing it as a song of triumph, when the sound of the trumpet on the tops of the hills is not a joyful sound, but an urgent warning of imminent disaster. The people of God are to be gathered immediately (note the call for the bridegroom to leave his room, and the bride her canopy – even as the families are coming to celebrate a wedding, as the bride is putting rest of God’s people). This is not a time to rejoice, but to repent.
The trumpet is sounding an alarm, a warning that an army has assembled on the hills to attack the nation. It is calling the people to prayer and fasting and the offering of animal sacrifices and grain offerings:
Prayer, to call on God for protection;
Fasting, to remind us that we are dependent on God and to open us to God’s Spirit;
Sacrifices, to remind us that since God has given us everything we have, we can surrender the things we need to sustain life, trusting God to supply us with everything we need.
The Israelites were expected to believe the watchers on the hills that danger was at hand, even if they could not yet see it, and respond accordingly. I cannot help but think about those people who are warned that a hurricane is approaching, or a wildfire, or Covid-19, or an attack on our nation’s capitol but refuse to co-operate. Sirens are sounding, the police are going from neighborhood to neighborhood with loudspeakers, barriers are erected, and yet there are always some who will not leave. What would we have to do to get an appropriate response?
We are living in dangerous times. It has been clear for some time that there are deep divisions in our country. Supposedly Christian people are calling for a civil war, perhaps a race war, because they feel disenfranchised. Where is their faith, that they believe they have to kill everyone who disagrees with them, or die themselves?
There are those who believe that the church ought not to engage in political discourse because they fear that a divide will open and inevitably lead to fighting over issues which will split us into two or more camps who cannot stand to talk to one another. While talking things over, if done poorly, can in fact divide us (I belong to one of those churches facing schism because of an inability to communicate without rancor), a reasoned and respectful dialogue should at least lead us to understanding one another, and stop us from denigrating those with whom we disagree.
The first step is to look more closely at v.13 of this hymn, which says “Yet even now, says God, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping. . .rend [rip] your hearts and not your clothing.”1 We tend to misunderstand Paul’s words that we Christians must “be of one mind.”
The answer to dissention and alienation from one another is simple. We must open our hearts to one another, telling one another what we’re afraid of. We need to create pockets of trust, where we can express our viewpoints without fear that we will be ostracized. We must learn how to listen with respect to others’ differing opinion, not interrupting or beating each other with words or even real, physical blows. We need to turn down our tempers and speak with as much moderation as we can muster. Perhaps we need to hire outside mediators to oversee our times of disagreement, helping us understand our differing points of view.
When I first came into the ministry, I was convinced that the biggest problem facing the church is language. Some of us talk about an epiphany; others say we must be born again. Where is the difference since both phrases point to us coming to a new understanding of ourselves and God? In one interview, a seasoned pastor said, “Sandra, you have a way of framing the most liberal theology in the most conservative language! I’ve never before heard anyone who consistently does this, and you do it so well!” Whether or not he meant it as a compliment, I said, “Thank you! I’ve worked at it.”
After more than thirty years in the ministry and ten years of writing, I am not that hopeful that we can overcome our differences simply by changing our language. Recent events in our nation’s capitol have proven that those who have been calling for civil or race wars over the past ten years are quite willing to leave discussion behind and to take up weapons and beat each other to death. This isn’t as frightening to me as it makes me deeply sad.
Yes, Jesus despaired of his disciples not “getting it” when he told them parables. Yes, he got into arguments with the Pharisees. Yes, he dumped over the tables in the temple. Yes, Paul and Peter disagreed with each other over the inclusion of Gentiles in the churches – even to the point of not being able to talk to each other -- until God gave Peter a vision2 that superseded even the scriptures.
We really need better communication skills and fewer times when we “tell off” one another. How can it be that we cannot find a middle way, that we each can demand our viewpoint be the viewpoint of every Christian, in the face of these scripture readings?
Perhaps we need to eat a little “humble pie” on a daily basis. Maybe we can admit that we are all – everyone of us – sinners in need of repentance. It might be a good idea for us to call ‘a solemn assembly’ to mourn for our country, our state, our neighborhood and ourselves so that we can allow a difference of opinion to not be fatal. Our nation is too large to expect that everyone will have the same idea, the same solution, the same approach, the same love for one another. At some point, we have to allow others to disagree with us without being mocked, labeled and beaten in the name of God. The alternatives are too awful to consider.
2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10
Paul calls us “ambassadors of Christ.” The job of ambassador is a highly skilled job. The person chosen to be our ambassador to England, for example, needs to be aware of the protocols for meeting royalty, one of which is “one does not touch the queen.” She will offer her hand if she wishes after one has bowed or curtsied. Hugging is not part of the greeting protocols. Oops!
An ambassador represents their home country, and that means to always behave in the best possible way, so that people who meet them have a good opinion of the country they represent.
Ambassadors have no authority of their own. They represent their leader and the laws and customs of their native land. In other words, they don’t get to make things up as they go along. They are required to say what the leader of their country wants them to say. No ambassador ought to convey, by word or glance, that they disagree with what they’ve been told to say. If it gets to the point where they are in strict disagreement with their government or leader, the ambassador has to clear that up with the person who tells them what to do. “Did I misunderstand what you were saying? Because I don’t think I want to say what you’re telling me to say, and I thought the Senate had passed a measure that says something quite different,” etc. And if one seriously disagrees with the policy, one needs to quit, rather than betray one’s country.
If we are Christ’s ambassadors, then we need to represent God’s message for the world. And that message sometimes conflicts with what we, personally, want to convey. We have to convey God’s love for all humankind. Even when disaster is imminent, we have to convey God’s love in the midst of pain and suffering. We cannot say, “Repent, or God will kill you all and send you into the fiery pit!” That message may satisfy our anger about the way things are going, but it does not reflect God’s message of salvation. Paul says, “We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry.”
How tempting it is, sometimes, to thunder and roar like the Old Testament prophets! How good it feels, as we practice next Sunday’s sermon, to announce the punishments God has in mind for their sins! After a hard church council meeting, how pleasing it is to tell them off in our imaginations. (Well, maybe that’s just me.)
As we read the sixth chapter, it sounds as though that’s what Paul’s first draft did. He has a long list of what he has been subjected to: “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger.” Does none of this move the Corinthians? They are a stubborn lot if they aren’t ashamed that Paul has gone through all of this for the sake of their reconciliation with God, only to see them continue in their sinful path.
Paul does not tell them they’ve all lost their salvation. He tells them, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
He is referring, of course, to God’s care of us who attempt, however poorly, to follow Christ, to walk as he walked and talk as he talked. And lest we think, “Well, I made a resolution to give up one of my sins,” Paul lists some of the fruits of God’s Spirit that we ought to be practicing: “purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God.” We are not expected to do all this easily, on our own. That is why so many of our “New Year’s Resolutions” are already forgotten. We think we have to do them on our own, and the result is failure by week three.
If we would look at ourselves and see where we have gone wrong (rather than looking at others with an accusing eye), then we, too, might come to repentance and take advantage of God’s love today, this very minute, and thus to live as people who have been saved from certain destruction.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Giving alms. Do we give to charities? Do we pay attention to those who are asking us for money, to make sure they’re reliable? It’s so easy to give, with begging e-mails popping up daily. One day, I started to give to an organization when I realized suddenly that this was not the group I had given to in the past. The name was nearly the same, but the organization was different. I repented (turned around) and cancelled my donation and asked them to send me a financial statement. It’s been two months, and they haven’t answered me. Being a good steward means more than “give;” it means to give responsibly.
When and where do we pray? I like to pray before I eat, but I don’t want to look like a Pharisee, making a big deal about praying as I begin to eat in a restaurant. But if I don’t, what kind of a witness am I being? Shouldn’t Christians be an example for others? Doesn’t Jesus say that, too? The thing is, Jesus is objecting to is not a quiet prayer as the food is delivered to us in our favorite eatery; he calls those whom he has in mind hypocrites. In Greek, actors. Then why make a production out of prayer when out with friends? On the other hand, it might be a good idea to pray at a business lunch….3
One word of warning to pass on to those listening to your sermon: if you talk to God privately, be prepared for God to talk to you. Maybe that’s the very reason Jesus says to pray secretly, in your own room. So the shock of hearing from God can be handled in private.
Fasting is one of those things that many Protestants have given up. And not just for Lent. I used to be amazed that my parishioners would ask me, “Isn’t that kind of … Catholic? I mean, none of our other pastors ever talked about fasting.” “Pastor, could you preach about how to fast?” “What’s the point of fasting, pastor? I suppose it’s good to fast if we then send the money saved to food programs. But what does it do for us?”
How difficult it is to be Christian and rich. In this case, I’m calling us rich if we have enough to eat and don’t have to worry about tomorrow’s lunch. I’m calling us rich if we can afford meat every day of the week. I’m calling us rich if we aren’t sure how much our average grocery bill is. Never mind wearing ashes or looking hungry to get others to look at us and consider us to be holy.4 In Jesus’ day, most people had little meat, saving that for special occasions. Bread was the food most people had enough of.
As people kept asking questions about the custom of fasting, I found myself talking about the custom of being marked with a cross of ashes on the forehead. I explained that when we look in a mirror, the ashes remind us that we are fasting, and that the reason for fasting is to remind ourselves that without God, no amount of food can satisfy. People liked that idea, and so we tried it one Ash Wednesday. The congregation found it to be a call to holiness and asked for the anointing to be part of our Ash Wednesday services from then on. Everything old is new again.
Where our treasure is, there our heart(s) will be also.
There is a good illustration of this in a rom-com movie titled Leap Year. In this film, the heroine is getting tired of waiting for her boyfriend to propose to her. So, she gets on a plane and flies to Ireland, where he is on a business trip, to propose to him on the 29th of February.
Once in Ireland, she faces a multitude of obstacles to get to Dublin. She misses her train, her suitcase is stolen, finds that there is no train to Dublin on the 28th, because it’s Sunday. Salvation appears in the form of a very good-looking Irishman (of course). But he thinks her quest is ridiculous. At one point he makes a comment that the way to know a man’s heart is to see what he would rescue from a fire.
As soon as her fiancé sees her, he gets down on one knee in the hotel lobby and asks her to marry him. Being ‘a romantic’ she says yes, even though she’s torn between the two men.
By the time they get home, she is excited to show off her engagement ring. But her fiancé makes her stop and think again, when he says, “Well, when I was told that we couldn’t have the apartment unless we were married (the folks in this building evidently are old fashioned about that) I thought, “What the heck, might as well get married too.” She walks over to the fire alarm and pulls it. Everyone is rushing around to get their coats gloves and exit the building, but her fiancé starts picking up all of his electronics – laptop, phone, tablet – and hasn’t even checked to see if she’s all right. And that’s her moment of truth. He valued his things over her.
Lent is a time for us to re-evaluate our lives, even our customs. It is a time to listen more closely to these words of Jesus and let them frame (or re-frame) our lives in Christ. The hope is that by the time we get to Good Friday, we will be grateful for all that God has done for us. And on Easter, we will be willing to believe the message of the resurrection.
1 The tearing of one’s clothing was an act of mourning, an expression of grief, and has ancient roots. See: Matthew 26:65. The High Priest tore his clothes, not in anger only, but in mourning at Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. Blasphemy may arouse anger, but we ought also to be grief-stricken at the fallenness of the blashphemer.
2 Acts 10:9-16
3 I’m being funny. It’s a joke. Or is it?
4 Interestingly, the fact that so many Protestant churches long ago dropped marking foreheads with a thumbprint or cross of ash has given the custom an entirely new meaning. Rather than being a mark that tells others we are fasting, it has become a personal reminder that we are to be humble as we fast. Every time we look in a mirror, there is the ash on our foreheads, reminding us of the sacrifice God made on our behalf.
