Sermon Illustrations for Ash Wednesday (2025)
Illustration
Isaiah 58:1-12
The 2024 World Series saw the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees four games to one. It was not a particularly close World Series, but the last game, game 5, did have some controversy. Gerrit Cole is the ace pitcher for the Yankees and was doing well. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning with two outs. Dodger star Mookie Betts hit a ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo fielded the ball and looked to throw it to Cole who would normally be covering first. For some reason, though, Cole did not cover, and Betts beat Rizzo to the bag. A run scored and the Dodgers added four more to tie the game. Eventually, they won the game 7-6 and the championship. The game took a major turn when a star player failed to execute a basic play.
The historical background for Isaiah 58 is most likely the period of fasting that followed the exile. Zechariah 7:3-5 indicates that Israel fasted on the fifth and seventh months for seventy years following the destruction of Jerusalem. They fasted and prayed, seeking a response, an answer to their troubles. However, their fasts were not pleasing to God.
Not doing the things that are supposed to be done, however small, can lead to problems. The Yankees had to do all the little things right to beat the Dodgers and know the glory of winning the World Series. Isaiah warned God’s people that unless they did the little things right with respect to the fasts, they would not know the glory of God nor please him. Will we seek to please God in the big and small things of life?
Bill T.
* * *
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
It’s not clear exactly when Joel spoke his prophecies, nor what political situation he may have addressed, but this is all happening in the midst of an ecological disaster – the destruction of crops – and hope – by a plague of locusts. Any pretense that all is well, and that their larger problems can be ignored, have been swept away. And so, the prophet calls them to refocus their attention to rededication to their faith – and though the outward signs of repentance are important -- fasting, weeping, mourning, and, as in our observance, ashes upon the forehead, it is inward change that is essential: rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Which is also what we see in Isaiah 58:1-12, the alternate reading from the Hebrew Scriptures. This prophet also warns against relying simply on the outward signs of repentance –“to lie down in sackcloth and ashes…” because the fast God chooses is “to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house…” Do these things and “…light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly, your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10
Life is tough, full of hard knocks. But it can also be joyful and so wonderful. Not surprisingly, then, the Christian life is hidden. Martin Luther once put it this way:
You see, the whole of Christian life has to be hidden and remain hidden in this way. It cannot achieve great fame or put on much of a display or show before the world. So let it go that way. Do not worry about the way it is hidden covered up, and buried, and the way that no one notices. Be content with the fact that your Father up there in heaven sees it. (Luther’s Works, Vol.21, pp.163-164)
Not just the Christian, but the work of Jesus Christ is hidden. Our Savior, the perfect man, is the greatest of all sinners, according to Luther. He wrote:
And all the proponents saw this, that Christ was to become the greatest thief, murderer, adulterer, robber, desecrator, blasphemer, etc. there has ever been anywhere in the world. (Luther’s Works, Vol.26, p.277)
John Wesley summarized the main point of the teachings in this lesson, claiming it is taught “all things are ours if we are Christ’s.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.526) In a sermon on the text Luther added:
All our sins are forgotten; he takes no note of the sins of the past nor of those of the present. In short, we are in a realm of mercy, where are only forgiveness and reconciliation. (Complete Sermons, Vol.4/1, p.136)
Mark E.
* * *
2 Corinthians 5:20--6:10
In the 2008 movie The Dark Knight, the Joker and his goons overtake a police honor guard, tying them up and stealing their uniforms so they can infiltrate a parade and gain access to the mayor of Gotham. Their ruse works until shots ring out and their real identities are revealed. True ambassadors reflect the nature and character of that which they represent.
Goran Visnjic, who is Croatian, once said, “I’m always trying to be a good ambassador for my country.” In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he notes that he and his traveling companions are ambassadors for Christ.
What did that look like? Verses 4-10 make it clear. They have tried to maintain a Christlike outlook despite the numerous difficulties they faced. They have tried to demonstrate what it means to be like Jesus. Paul writes, “n purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, ruthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left” (vs. 6-7). Like Paul and his companions, we are called to represent Jesus. Will we be genuine ambassadors for the kingdom of Christ?
Bill T.
* * *
2 Corinthians 5:20--6:10
Paul writes to the church about Jesus but also about the followers of Jesus who encounter pain, suffering, imprisonment, hunger, sleeplessness — all for living out their faith. We live in a time when speaking out about justice, the truth of the gospel, reconciliation, mercy, and love is so necessary. Many of us shrink back from proclaiming the truth. We shrink back in fear, afraid that as servants of God, we too, will experience calamity. Yet, Paul reminds the people that peace, purity, knowledge, love, and truthful speech help us to become righteous before God.
I strive for truth-telling, often when it is challenging or difficult, often when those around me question my ardor, my engagement with those who stand against the truth I proclaim — the truth of loving everyone as a child of God, the truth of caring for the least among us, the truth of grace and forgiveness and blessing. I will continue to stand, sometimes with others, sometimes alone. I seek this Ash Wednesday to be forgiven for the times I have remained silent, remained centered on myself. I seek to be more righteous each and every day.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Eighteenth-century French intellectual Blaise Pascal profoundly summarizes the misery of our sinful condition, so well described in this text. He wrote: “Man’s condition: Inconstancy, boredom, anxiety.” (Pensées, p.24) “Man is nothing but a subject full of natural error that cannot be eradicated except through grace.” (Pensées, p.45) Elsewhere Pascal elaborates further on our misery:
All our life passes in this way: we seek rest by struggling against certain obstacles, and once they are overcome, rest proves intolerable because of the boredom it produces. We must get away from it and crave excitement. (Pensées, p.136)
Martin Luther reflects on how this sinful condition is not irredeemable. As he put it:
Therefore sinners are attractive because they are loved; they are not loved because they are attractive. (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.57)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
The theaters in the ancient world could seat thousands, even tens of thousands. These were far from intimate settings. Actors, who might be standing far from the audience, wore large masks called hupocrites exaggerated their features so that all could tell what emotions the actors were singing as they played their parts.
Jesus is using that word in a negative way when he talks about the hypocrites, who are not actors telling a story, but people only acting as if they were suffering from their repentance, weeping, disfigured, suffering. There’s no need to make a public show of your piety. Don’t blow a trumpet so everyone will look in your direction. I think of the line from Joni Mitchel’s song, “Both Sides Now.” “But now it’s just another show. You leave them laughing when you go.” Don’t put on a show when it comes to public worship. Don’t pretend to repent in order to impress others. Quietly repent, do it in private, because God knows the difference.
That’s not to denigrate that the rituals of Ash Wednesday, especially the public wearing of ashes. This is a quiet witness. It may even result in some public ribbing for forgetting to wash your face that morning.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Having written about seeking to be truthful and righteous, standing before my friends and foes proclaiming the gospel, I am admonished in this passage of Matthew. Why do I stand in gospel truth? Is it for recognition that I am serving God? Is it for the audience it might result in? Or is it simply like kneeling in prayer, reflecting on the power of God in my life, when I am alone and in the privacy of my home? The recognition that preachers sometimes get is difficult. When someone compliments my preaching or my worship leadership it is hard to know ho to respond. It is God, I hope, who is leading worship, who is leading me to the words I preach. Sometimes all I can utter is a thank you. Sometimes I offer them a blessing for hearing God in the midst of worship.
Once, long ago, a church asked me how long my sermons were. I indicated to them that I preached until I was done — until I had said the words that I believed God was calling me to preach. For the words, I hope, are the words that God sought me to speak in that time and place to those people. That is my calling — to share the message that God has for the people. The humility of listening for God’s voice is good. The sharing of God’s word is good. The recognition for doing that makes me uncomfortable and maybe that’s as it should be.
Bonnie B.
The 2024 World Series saw the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the New York Yankees four games to one. It was not a particularly close World Series, but the last game, game 5, did have some controversy. Gerrit Cole is the ace pitcher for the Yankees and was doing well. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the top of the fifth inning with two outs. Dodger star Mookie Betts hit a ground ball to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo fielded the ball and looked to throw it to Cole who would normally be covering first. For some reason, though, Cole did not cover, and Betts beat Rizzo to the bag. A run scored and the Dodgers added four more to tie the game. Eventually, they won the game 7-6 and the championship. The game took a major turn when a star player failed to execute a basic play.
The historical background for Isaiah 58 is most likely the period of fasting that followed the exile. Zechariah 7:3-5 indicates that Israel fasted on the fifth and seventh months for seventy years following the destruction of Jerusalem. They fasted and prayed, seeking a response, an answer to their troubles. However, their fasts were not pleasing to God.
Not doing the things that are supposed to be done, however small, can lead to problems. The Yankees had to do all the little things right to beat the Dodgers and know the glory of winning the World Series. Isaiah warned God’s people that unless they did the little things right with respect to the fasts, they would not know the glory of God nor please him. Will we seek to please God in the big and small things of life?
Bill T.
* * *
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
It’s not clear exactly when Joel spoke his prophecies, nor what political situation he may have addressed, but this is all happening in the midst of an ecological disaster – the destruction of crops – and hope – by a plague of locusts. Any pretense that all is well, and that their larger problems can be ignored, have been swept away. And so, the prophet calls them to refocus their attention to rededication to their faith – and though the outward signs of repentance are important -- fasting, weeping, mourning, and, as in our observance, ashes upon the forehead, it is inward change that is essential: rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Which is also what we see in Isaiah 58:1-12, the alternate reading from the Hebrew Scriptures. This prophet also warns against relying simply on the outward signs of repentance –“to lie down in sackcloth and ashes…” because the fast God chooses is “to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house…” Do these things and “…light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly, your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”
Frank R.
* * *
2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:10
Life is tough, full of hard knocks. But it can also be joyful and so wonderful. Not surprisingly, then, the Christian life is hidden. Martin Luther once put it this way:
You see, the whole of Christian life has to be hidden and remain hidden in this way. It cannot achieve great fame or put on much of a display or show before the world. So let it go that way. Do not worry about the way it is hidden covered up, and buried, and the way that no one notices. Be content with the fact that your Father up there in heaven sees it. (Luther’s Works, Vol.21, pp.163-164)
Not just the Christian, but the work of Jesus Christ is hidden. Our Savior, the perfect man, is the greatest of all sinners, according to Luther. He wrote:
And all the proponents saw this, that Christ was to become the greatest thief, murderer, adulterer, robber, desecrator, blasphemer, etc. there has ever been anywhere in the world. (Luther’s Works, Vol.26, p.277)
John Wesley summarized the main point of the teachings in this lesson, claiming it is taught “all things are ours if we are Christ’s.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.526) In a sermon on the text Luther added:
All our sins are forgotten; he takes no note of the sins of the past nor of those of the present. In short, we are in a realm of mercy, where are only forgiveness and reconciliation. (Complete Sermons, Vol.4/1, p.136)
Mark E.
* * *
2 Corinthians 5:20--6:10
In the 2008 movie The Dark Knight, the Joker and his goons overtake a police honor guard, tying them up and stealing their uniforms so they can infiltrate a parade and gain access to the mayor of Gotham. Their ruse works until shots ring out and their real identities are revealed. True ambassadors reflect the nature and character of that which they represent.
Goran Visnjic, who is Croatian, once said, “I’m always trying to be a good ambassador for my country.” In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he notes that he and his traveling companions are ambassadors for Christ.
What did that look like? Verses 4-10 make it clear. They have tried to maintain a Christlike outlook despite the numerous difficulties they faced. They have tried to demonstrate what it means to be like Jesus. Paul writes, “n purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, ruthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left” (vs. 6-7). Like Paul and his companions, we are called to represent Jesus. Will we be genuine ambassadors for the kingdom of Christ?
Bill T.
* * *
2 Corinthians 5:20--6:10
Paul writes to the church about Jesus but also about the followers of Jesus who encounter pain, suffering, imprisonment, hunger, sleeplessness — all for living out their faith. We live in a time when speaking out about justice, the truth of the gospel, reconciliation, mercy, and love is so necessary. Many of us shrink back from proclaiming the truth. We shrink back in fear, afraid that as servants of God, we too, will experience calamity. Yet, Paul reminds the people that peace, purity, knowledge, love, and truthful speech help us to become righteous before God.
I strive for truth-telling, often when it is challenging or difficult, often when those around me question my ardor, my engagement with those who stand against the truth I proclaim — the truth of loving everyone as a child of God, the truth of caring for the least among us, the truth of grace and forgiveness and blessing. I will continue to stand, sometimes with others, sometimes alone. I seek this Ash Wednesday to be forgiven for the times I have remained silent, remained centered on myself. I seek to be more righteous each and every day.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Eighteenth-century French intellectual Blaise Pascal profoundly summarizes the misery of our sinful condition, so well described in this text. He wrote: “Man’s condition: Inconstancy, boredom, anxiety.” (Pensées, p.24) “Man is nothing but a subject full of natural error that cannot be eradicated except through grace.” (Pensées, p.45) Elsewhere Pascal elaborates further on our misery:
All our life passes in this way: we seek rest by struggling against certain obstacles, and once they are overcome, rest proves intolerable because of the boredom it produces. We must get away from it and crave excitement. (Pensées, p.136)
Martin Luther reflects on how this sinful condition is not irredeemable. As he put it:
Therefore sinners are attractive because they are loved; they are not loved because they are attractive. (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.57)
Mark E.
* * *
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
The theaters in the ancient world could seat thousands, even tens of thousands. These were far from intimate settings. Actors, who might be standing far from the audience, wore large masks called hupocrites exaggerated their features so that all could tell what emotions the actors were singing as they played their parts.
Jesus is using that word in a negative way when he talks about the hypocrites, who are not actors telling a story, but people only acting as if they were suffering from their repentance, weeping, disfigured, suffering. There’s no need to make a public show of your piety. Don’t blow a trumpet so everyone will look in your direction. I think of the line from Joni Mitchel’s song, “Both Sides Now.” “But now it’s just another show. You leave them laughing when you go.” Don’t put on a show when it comes to public worship. Don’t pretend to repent in order to impress others. Quietly repent, do it in private, because God knows the difference.
That’s not to denigrate that the rituals of Ash Wednesday, especially the public wearing of ashes. This is a quiet witness. It may even result in some public ribbing for forgetting to wash your face that morning.
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Having written about seeking to be truthful and righteous, standing before my friends and foes proclaiming the gospel, I am admonished in this passage of Matthew. Why do I stand in gospel truth? Is it for recognition that I am serving God? Is it for the audience it might result in? Or is it simply like kneeling in prayer, reflecting on the power of God in my life, when I am alone and in the privacy of my home? The recognition that preachers sometimes get is difficult. When someone compliments my preaching or my worship leadership it is hard to know ho to respond. It is God, I hope, who is leading worship, who is leading me to the words I preach. Sometimes all I can utter is a thank you. Sometimes I offer them a blessing for hearing God in the midst of worship.
Once, long ago, a church asked me how long my sermons were. I indicated to them that I preached until I was done — until I had said the words that I believed God was calling me to preach. For the words, I hope, are the words that God sought me to speak in that time and place to those people. That is my calling — to share the message that God has for the people. The humility of listening for God’s voice is good. The sharing of God’s word is good. The recognition for doing that makes me uncomfortable and maybe that’s as it should be.
Bonnie B.
