Ashes For Remembering
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series II, Cycle B
Ashes For Remembering
In our Judeo-Christian heritage, ashes are for mourning -- a symbol of loss, weeping -- a signal of deep emotion, repentance -- a sign of needed change and sincerity -- a desire to be conformed to the image of God.
But mostly, ashes are for remembering. Henri Nouwen, the Roman Catholic writer, tells us that from a biblical point of view remembering means more than recalling an event or person. Remembering means participation and actualizing former events and people.1 By remembering, we enter into the past. Thus, when Jesus speaks of remembering him in the Lord's Supper, he is not just asking us to recall what he did, but to participate in what he's doing. "Do this in remembrance of me," is an invitation to come into the real presence of God.
The prophet, Joel, reminds us to step into the presence of God by remembering our sins and bringing them to God with repentance. Thus we are invited to step into a time of remembrance, reformation, and renewal, to actualize what the people of God have experienced in the past. Ash Wednesday is a time to remember (re-experience), be reformed (made over), and renewed (made new) by God.
At Ash Wednesday services, one pastor offers remembrance, reformation, and renewal as he administers ashes to the foreheads of parishioners by saying, "From ashes you came; to ashes you will return." Another pastor reminds his parishioners that they are made in the image of God and have an eternal destiny. He reminds the people who they are and whose they are by using these words with the imposition of ashes: "Remember your mortality and anticipate your eternity."
Who We Are
Joel 2:1-2 and 12-17 are reminders that we are mere mortals. We must be careful not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We must beware of the dangers of acting as if we are the center of the universe with everything else spinning around us. We must be alert to the possibility of egos running amuck, self-centeredness spreading like a plague, and the infectious tendencies of the "Me Generation" making us sick unto death.
On the other hand, the Joel passage reminds us that we mere mortals are God's children, made in God's image. Only children would need to be reminded to return to their Father. Our heavenly Father is the Lord God who is gracious and merciful (Joel 2:12). In other words, we are called to participate in the ashes of repentance and return to the Lord by remembering two things: our mortality and the touch of eternity God has added to his two-footed handiwork. We came from dust and to dust we return, but when we die, God promises the crown of eternity will be placed on the heads of his faithful children. The invitation here is to live like God's children and anticipate our eternity, but let's face it, there is a stumbling block in trying to live this way. It's called sin.
We are children of God, but we are sinful, lost like the prodigal son (in Luke 15). The prodigal son was called to return home to his father. Like him, we have gone astray and forgotten who we are. Like him, we wind up in the pigsties of life because we forget our heavenly Father. Like him, we are lost in a foreign land. Like him, we can return to the Father, by repentance, only to be surprised that God is more willing to forgive than we are to ask for forgiveness. Ashes are for participation in that repentance/forgiveness story.
Forgiveness is promised in Joel 2 and in Luke 15, but in both passages there is an implied warning. Joel speaks of judgment as well as mercy. In Luke 15, we find both a son who returns and is forgiven and one who stands outside grumbling and filled with jealousy, refusing to go into the forgiveness party. The implied warning is that you can miss the great banquet by not accepting the gracious invitation to come to the party.
In the Second Lesson for Ash Wednesday, the implied warning is spelled out clearly. We are called to beware of "accepting the grace of God in vain" (1 Corinthians 6:1). How do we do that? Any time we grumble against the grace of God or take God for granted like the older son in Luke 15, we accept the grace of God in vain. Any time we don't take seriously how much our sins hurt the Father, we insult and injure the one we say we love. In other words, the return home to God through repentance must be "with all our hearts" (Joel 2:12).
We mere mortals are lost children of God, but we can return to God with heart-felt repentance, symbolized in Joel 2:12-13 by fasting, weeping, and mourning. God's grace inspires and fulfills our yearning for home. As C. S. Lewis says, "When we return, we are surprised by joy." Joel says, "Who knows whether he [God] will not turn and relent [from justly punishing us], and leave a blessing behind him?" (Joel 2:14). The point is that God's grace in accepting us back is not to be taken for granted. "Who knows?" Joel says with a half-smile.
Who are we? We are sinners who deserve punishment for our sins. In our self-centeredness, we too often try to store up treasures on earth and forget about the fact we will die and have to face God. Too often we live as if have forgotten that. Too often we live as if there is only this life and no eternity beyond it. Eternity awaits all of us in the form of heaven or hell. That's why Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (the Gospel Reading for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6:19-21).
In other words, we must not only consider who we are, but whose we are. We not only have identification (our names), but identity (our foundation in God, our creator).
Whose We Are
Ashes are for remembering that repentance before God offers the possibility of return, reformation, renewal, and restoration. In other words, ashes are for remembering who we are and whose we are.
Joel uses the term "day of the Lord" (Joel 2:1) as a reminder of the ultimate lordship of our God. God, not man, is the center of the universe. We aren't in charge. We aren't in control. God reigns supreme. The one to whom we belong is Lord of all.
"Wake up to the reality of God's reign," Joel is saying. "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord (italics mine) is near...." Remember you belong to this Lord.
This day of the Lord is a time of triumph of our God over his enemies and deliverance of his people. This day of the Lord is the ultimate judgment day when all people must come before God's throne.
The Old Testament is filled with references to the day of the Lord. Amos 5:18-20 speaks of the judgment of Israel and the reconstruction of God's people. Ezekiel 30:1 speaks of judgment on the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Isaiah 2:12-21 tells us that all elements of pride and false strength will be seen for what they are on that day. Hosea 2:18 compares the day of the Lord with a plague of locusts when everything goes out of control. Malachi (chapters 3 and 4) speaks of universal judgment when some people will be filled with terror and those who know whose they are will be filled with rejoicing because the ultimate rule of God will no longer be partially hidden.
The New Testament places no less emphasis on the day of the Lord. It is a day of wrath (Romans 2:5), a day of judgment (Matthew 10:15 and Romans 2:16), and a great day (Jude 6). It is called "that day" (Matthew 7:22), "the day" (1 Corinthians 3:13), "the day of our Lord Jesus" (2 Corinthians 1:14), and "the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6, 10). In addition, the numerous references in the New Testament to the kingdom of God (or the kingdom of heaven) are about the day of the Lord. Remember, Jesus started most of his parables with, "The kingdom of God is like...." Acts 1:3 says that Jesus' last forty days on earth were spent teaching his apostles about the kingdom of God.
The one to whom we belong is the Lord of all. That makes all the difference in the world -- both in this world and the next. We live in but we are not of this world. We Christians are supposed to be a colony of heaven here on earth. As God's redeemed people we are called to witness to unbelievers so that they, too, may come under the lordship of Christ in this world before we are called to face God in the next world.
All of this is true enough, but how does it apply today? Two stories may help to answer the question, "What difference does all this make to us today?" The first story is about a young mother who was cleaning the first story of her two-story house. Her six-year-old daughter was playing on the second story. Suddenly the little girl broke out in a gospel song she had just learned. She sang, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever." The mother stopped in her tracks, wept a few tears, and remembered that there is angelic music on the "second story" of the universe. The mother's troubles, which were many, looked different from the perspective of the reality of heaven. The gospel broke through to her. Jesus' promise that "In my Father's house are many rooms ..." became a living reality for her. It was like she heard the wake-up call of Joel, "Sound the trumpets...." She remembered whose she was. By faith, we can also hear "angelic songs" from heaven.
The second story has to do with a man, let's call him Stan. Stan was a successful executive who worked long hours. For years he had resisted giving control of his life to Jesus as Lord. For years he and his wife had been at opposite ends of the religious spectrum, she a devout believer, he an unbeliever. Daily she prayed for Stan to become a Christian, but the prayers seemingly were never answered. Stan had no time for God.
When his wife got cancer and faced surgery, Stan had nowhere to turn. In the waiting room of the hospital, he saw a nurse with a black cross on her forehead. "What's that for?" he asked. She explained that she was a Christian and that she had just come from Ash Wednesday services at her church. "We Christians are on a Lenten journey to remember the importance of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection," she said. "Ashes are for remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross."
Stan sat quietly for a long time as he waited for news from the doctor about his wife's surgery. Then he remembered a prayer he had been taught as a child. "Our Father in heaven ..." he began. He stopped praying and realized how foolish he had been by living in this world as if that's all there is. He had built up treasures on earth, but had no treasures in heaven. In prayer, he turned as much of himself over to as much of Jesus Christ as he understood. At the time he didn't know much, but he experienced an awakening. Gradually a sense of peace came over him.
When Stan's wife was released from the hospital with the encouraging news that the surgery had removed the cancerous tumor, Stan surprised her by saying that he wanted to start attending church with her. There he found a hospitable Christian community and a pastor who taught him about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Stan was baptized and started on a faith journey.
One day, while shaving, he looked in the mirror and said, "I'm not the man I ought to be. Dear God, I've started this spiritual journey, but I'm still a long way from what I ought to be. Today let me be more Christ-like in my actions." By the time he said good-bye to his family, Stan was running late to catch his train into the city. He ran as he got to the train platform. Suddenly, he felt a bump. His briefcase had hit something.
Stan looked back as he ran. There on the train platform he saw a little girl who was bending down picking up pieces of a puzzle that were scattered everywhere. He shouted over his shoulder, "Sorry, little girl. I'm sorry I bumped you." Then he stopped running. He turned and quietly walked back to the little girl. "Sorry," he repeated, bending down on one knee on the platform. "I was in too much of a hurry. I didn't see you." The "All aboard" call was heard, but Stan kept working on the scattered puzzle pieces. The train pulled away from the station.
When Stan and the little girl finished their job of getting all the pieces back in the box, he said, "There, we got them all."
As he turned to walk away, the little girl called him, "Mister."
Stan stopped and looked down at her.
"Mister," she repeated, "are you Jesus?"
____________
1.ÊHenry Nouwen, The Living Reminder (New York: Seabury Press, 1977), p. 38.
In our Judeo-Christian heritage, ashes are for mourning -- a symbol of loss, weeping -- a signal of deep emotion, repentance -- a sign of needed change and sincerity -- a desire to be conformed to the image of God.
But mostly, ashes are for remembering. Henri Nouwen, the Roman Catholic writer, tells us that from a biblical point of view remembering means more than recalling an event or person. Remembering means participation and actualizing former events and people.1 By remembering, we enter into the past. Thus, when Jesus speaks of remembering him in the Lord's Supper, he is not just asking us to recall what he did, but to participate in what he's doing. "Do this in remembrance of me," is an invitation to come into the real presence of God.
The prophet, Joel, reminds us to step into the presence of God by remembering our sins and bringing them to God with repentance. Thus we are invited to step into a time of remembrance, reformation, and renewal, to actualize what the people of God have experienced in the past. Ash Wednesday is a time to remember (re-experience), be reformed (made over), and renewed (made new) by God.
At Ash Wednesday services, one pastor offers remembrance, reformation, and renewal as he administers ashes to the foreheads of parishioners by saying, "From ashes you came; to ashes you will return." Another pastor reminds his parishioners that they are made in the image of God and have an eternal destiny. He reminds the people who they are and whose they are by using these words with the imposition of ashes: "Remember your mortality and anticipate your eternity."
Who We Are
Joel 2:1-2 and 12-17 are reminders that we are mere mortals. We must be careful not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We must beware of the dangers of acting as if we are the center of the universe with everything else spinning around us. We must be alert to the possibility of egos running amuck, self-centeredness spreading like a plague, and the infectious tendencies of the "Me Generation" making us sick unto death.
On the other hand, the Joel passage reminds us that we mere mortals are God's children, made in God's image. Only children would need to be reminded to return to their Father. Our heavenly Father is the Lord God who is gracious and merciful (Joel 2:12). In other words, we are called to participate in the ashes of repentance and return to the Lord by remembering two things: our mortality and the touch of eternity God has added to his two-footed handiwork. We came from dust and to dust we return, but when we die, God promises the crown of eternity will be placed on the heads of his faithful children. The invitation here is to live like God's children and anticipate our eternity, but let's face it, there is a stumbling block in trying to live this way. It's called sin.
We are children of God, but we are sinful, lost like the prodigal son (in Luke 15). The prodigal son was called to return home to his father. Like him, we have gone astray and forgotten who we are. Like him, we wind up in the pigsties of life because we forget our heavenly Father. Like him, we are lost in a foreign land. Like him, we can return to the Father, by repentance, only to be surprised that God is more willing to forgive than we are to ask for forgiveness. Ashes are for participation in that repentance/forgiveness story.
Forgiveness is promised in Joel 2 and in Luke 15, but in both passages there is an implied warning. Joel speaks of judgment as well as mercy. In Luke 15, we find both a son who returns and is forgiven and one who stands outside grumbling and filled with jealousy, refusing to go into the forgiveness party. The implied warning is that you can miss the great banquet by not accepting the gracious invitation to come to the party.
In the Second Lesson for Ash Wednesday, the implied warning is spelled out clearly. We are called to beware of "accepting the grace of God in vain" (1 Corinthians 6:1). How do we do that? Any time we grumble against the grace of God or take God for granted like the older son in Luke 15, we accept the grace of God in vain. Any time we don't take seriously how much our sins hurt the Father, we insult and injure the one we say we love. In other words, the return home to God through repentance must be "with all our hearts" (Joel 2:12).
We mere mortals are lost children of God, but we can return to God with heart-felt repentance, symbolized in Joel 2:12-13 by fasting, weeping, and mourning. God's grace inspires and fulfills our yearning for home. As C. S. Lewis says, "When we return, we are surprised by joy." Joel says, "Who knows whether he [God] will not turn and relent [from justly punishing us], and leave a blessing behind him?" (Joel 2:14). The point is that God's grace in accepting us back is not to be taken for granted. "Who knows?" Joel says with a half-smile.
Who are we? We are sinners who deserve punishment for our sins. In our self-centeredness, we too often try to store up treasures on earth and forget about the fact we will die and have to face God. Too often we live as if have forgotten that. Too often we live as if there is only this life and no eternity beyond it. Eternity awaits all of us in the form of heaven or hell. That's why Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (the Gospel Reading for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6:19-21).
In other words, we must not only consider who we are, but whose we are. We not only have identification (our names), but identity (our foundation in God, our creator).
Whose We Are
Ashes are for remembering that repentance before God offers the possibility of return, reformation, renewal, and restoration. In other words, ashes are for remembering who we are and whose we are.
Joel uses the term "day of the Lord" (Joel 2:1) as a reminder of the ultimate lordship of our God. God, not man, is the center of the universe. We aren't in charge. We aren't in control. God reigns supreme. The one to whom we belong is Lord of all.
"Wake up to the reality of God's reign," Joel is saying. "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord (italics mine) is near...." Remember you belong to this Lord.
This day of the Lord is a time of triumph of our God over his enemies and deliverance of his people. This day of the Lord is the ultimate judgment day when all people must come before God's throne.
The Old Testament is filled with references to the day of the Lord. Amos 5:18-20 speaks of the judgment of Israel and the reconstruction of God's people. Ezekiel 30:1 speaks of judgment on the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Isaiah 2:12-21 tells us that all elements of pride and false strength will be seen for what they are on that day. Hosea 2:18 compares the day of the Lord with a plague of locusts when everything goes out of control. Malachi (chapters 3 and 4) speaks of universal judgment when some people will be filled with terror and those who know whose they are will be filled with rejoicing because the ultimate rule of God will no longer be partially hidden.
The New Testament places no less emphasis on the day of the Lord. It is a day of wrath (Romans 2:5), a day of judgment (Matthew 10:15 and Romans 2:16), and a great day (Jude 6). It is called "that day" (Matthew 7:22), "the day" (1 Corinthians 3:13), "the day of our Lord Jesus" (2 Corinthians 1:14), and "the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6, 10). In addition, the numerous references in the New Testament to the kingdom of God (or the kingdom of heaven) are about the day of the Lord. Remember, Jesus started most of his parables with, "The kingdom of God is like...." Acts 1:3 says that Jesus' last forty days on earth were spent teaching his apostles about the kingdom of God.
The one to whom we belong is the Lord of all. That makes all the difference in the world -- both in this world and the next. We live in but we are not of this world. We Christians are supposed to be a colony of heaven here on earth. As God's redeemed people we are called to witness to unbelievers so that they, too, may come under the lordship of Christ in this world before we are called to face God in the next world.
All of this is true enough, but how does it apply today? Two stories may help to answer the question, "What difference does all this make to us today?" The first story is about a young mother who was cleaning the first story of her two-story house. Her six-year-old daughter was playing on the second story. Suddenly the little girl broke out in a gospel song she had just learned. She sang, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever." The mother stopped in her tracks, wept a few tears, and remembered that there is angelic music on the "second story" of the universe. The mother's troubles, which were many, looked different from the perspective of the reality of heaven. The gospel broke through to her. Jesus' promise that "In my Father's house are many rooms ..." became a living reality for her. It was like she heard the wake-up call of Joel, "Sound the trumpets...." She remembered whose she was. By faith, we can also hear "angelic songs" from heaven.
The second story has to do with a man, let's call him Stan. Stan was a successful executive who worked long hours. For years he had resisted giving control of his life to Jesus as Lord. For years he and his wife had been at opposite ends of the religious spectrum, she a devout believer, he an unbeliever. Daily she prayed for Stan to become a Christian, but the prayers seemingly were never answered. Stan had no time for God.
When his wife got cancer and faced surgery, Stan had nowhere to turn. In the waiting room of the hospital, he saw a nurse with a black cross on her forehead. "What's that for?" he asked. She explained that she was a Christian and that she had just come from Ash Wednesday services at her church. "We Christians are on a Lenten journey to remember the importance of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection," she said. "Ashes are for remembering what Jesus did for us on the cross."
Stan sat quietly for a long time as he waited for news from the doctor about his wife's surgery. Then he remembered a prayer he had been taught as a child. "Our Father in heaven ..." he began. He stopped praying and realized how foolish he had been by living in this world as if that's all there is. He had built up treasures on earth, but had no treasures in heaven. In prayer, he turned as much of himself over to as much of Jesus Christ as he understood. At the time he didn't know much, but he experienced an awakening. Gradually a sense of peace came over him.
When Stan's wife was released from the hospital with the encouraging news that the surgery had removed the cancerous tumor, Stan surprised her by saying that he wanted to start attending church with her. There he found a hospitable Christian community and a pastor who taught him about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Stan was baptized and started on a faith journey.
One day, while shaving, he looked in the mirror and said, "I'm not the man I ought to be. Dear God, I've started this spiritual journey, but I'm still a long way from what I ought to be. Today let me be more Christ-like in my actions." By the time he said good-bye to his family, Stan was running late to catch his train into the city. He ran as he got to the train platform. Suddenly, he felt a bump. His briefcase had hit something.
Stan looked back as he ran. There on the train platform he saw a little girl who was bending down picking up pieces of a puzzle that were scattered everywhere. He shouted over his shoulder, "Sorry, little girl. I'm sorry I bumped you." Then he stopped running. He turned and quietly walked back to the little girl. "Sorry," he repeated, bending down on one knee on the platform. "I was in too much of a hurry. I didn't see you." The "All aboard" call was heard, but Stan kept working on the scattered puzzle pieces. The train pulled away from the station.
When Stan and the little girl finished their job of getting all the pieces back in the box, he said, "There, we got them all."
As he turned to walk away, the little girl called him, "Mister."
Stan stopped and looked down at her.
"Mister," she repeated, "are you Jesus?"
____________
1.ÊHenry Nouwen, The Living Reminder (New York: Seabury Press, 1977), p. 38.
