Ash Wednesday Homily 2021

Introduction

Time, Seasons and the Church year

In this “season of Covid”, some of us have had too much time on our hands. The usual activities that we used to do are no more - and we wrestle as to how to fill this void - and realize that computers are not a replacement for people

Others have had too little time. Activities have not slowed down - in fact have Covid has added extra tasks to a schedule that was already full.

In the church year, Ash wednesday marks the begining of the season of Lent. The fact of this made me wonder. “why do we have a “church year”. Why Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter? Having raised this question I would now like to move on to the readings of the day.

English Standard Version Chapter 2

12

English Standard Version Chapter 2

“Yet even now,” declares the LORD,

“return to me with all your heart,

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

13  and rend your hearts and not your garments.”

Why is the Lord saying this? It is in response to the previous verse that states that:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome;

who can endure it?

It is a response to the “Day of the Lord”

It is a response that is both outward and inward.

It is a response that shows sincerity

It is a response that shows that “wholeness” of an individual.

In contrast we can recall the response of our own children or grandchildren.

Heather, say you are sorry to Steven. Well - if you do not - you are going to your room!.

“Sorry” - but the tone of that sorry implies, “I am not really sorry - but I really do not want to go to my room. I will outwradly do what I must, in order to avoid consequences - but my heart does not need to be sorry!!”

in the Matthew reading it is the last portion to which my attention was drawn:

verse 19.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 6:19–21).

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So if you state you are following Shrist, but your treasusres are not “in heaven”, then you are divided. You are trying to please God with perhaps your words, and maybe some of your actions, but your heart will be with the earthly treasure that you have.

Examples?

The reading in James acknowledges that in those to whmo he was writing that not all was peace and light!

English Standard Version Chapter 4

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?

He goes on to say,

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

A “friendship of the world” within this context refers to a person who follows the values of the world: putting myself and my desires first, using your time, your money, or influence to obtain your agenda and pleasure, and reminding yourself and others, that “time is money” (These actions and attitudes ....)

And here i would like to quote from a portion of Tom Wright’s reflections on this passage,

“

So what would it mean to be a friend of God instead? It would mean, for a start, taming the desires that are agitating inside you for things you can’t get, the desires that push you to fight, and even to kill or to make war. The desires, too, that lead you to pray for something (verse 3), but to pray simply for your own pleasures to be satisfied rather than for God’s glory. And yet, James says, you claim to be God’s people! That is spiritual adultery. Married to God, but having a long-running affair with ‘the world’. God longs for exclusive friendship with all those who are made in his image.

Wright, T. (2011). Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah (pp. 27–28). London; Louisville, KY: SPCK; Westminster John Knox Press.

Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah James 4:1–10: Humility and Faith

In particular, James highlights a major lack in the world of his day: humility. Its opposite is arrogance: the arrogance that says that my desires come first, that my cause is so important it’s worth fighting and killing for. The cure, of course, is to submit to God and resist the devil (verse 7)—rather than the other way around!

This may well mean a time of serious self-examination. Where are all these impulses coming from, these desires that are pulling me away from the God who truly longs to be my friend? Verses 8–10 (drawing near to God; cleansing hands and hearts; mourning and humility) sound to me like an agenda for at least six months of spiritual direction, or perhaps for an extended silent retreat. ‘The world’ will do its best to encourage you to play at doing these things. Five minutes of drawing near to God, and then quickly back to two hours of television. A brief cleansing of the hands and then back to the mud and the muck. A short, painful glance at the depths of the heart, and then we’ll decide that that had better wait for another occasion. After all, we don’t want to be gloomy, do we? Doesn’t God want us to be joyful?

All these three passages raise the fact that we as humans are not always single minded and single hearted in our love for God. And we as Christ followers are also the same. From time ot time we stolp following our Shepherd - or try to follow - but at the same time try to spend time and affection on another passion.

And this brings us back to time.

As followers of Christ we beleive that we are in the period of time the lies between Christ’s ascension and his coming again. The Day of the Lord. Although the seasons of the year - Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter - repeat and repeat, our own following of Christ is not a circle, but a path with direction. A narrow winding path - in which we need to constantly keep Christ in view if we are not going to go astray.

The church year can help us in following Christ along this narrow path as we live within the climatic seasonality of the calendar year.

Our God is so great, majestic, holy, just and loving that there is just too much for us to learn all at once! (This is akin to learning a trade, a profession, a skill. The education starts with the basics, proceeds to the more complex material, and culminates in years of practice and self reflection as the skills are honed). And so the church year aides us in looking at various aspects of our God and our pilgrimage within the time that we have.

In this season of lent, on this day of Ash Wednesday we are challenged to examine ourselves in regard to our love of God and how we act on the love in our daily life. This season challenges us to examine examine our hearts, minds and actions to see if we have other treasures than God.

Are we whole people, or are we divided people?

Do our outward actions and words reflect that we love God with all our heart, strength, mind and soul?

And as we think, contemplate, meditate on this self examination, we can also remember James 4:8

English Standard Version Chapter 4

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you

As Tom Wright writes

Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah James 4:1–10: Humility and Faith

Second, though, ‘draw near to God and he will draw near to you’. That is astonishing! God is ready and waiting. He longs to establish a friendship with you, a friendship deeper, stronger and more satisfying than you can ever imagine. This, too, will take time, as any friendship worthy of the name will do. But what could be more worthwhile? If even a few more people were prepared to take these promises seriously, think what a difference it would make to the world, never mind the church.

So as we enter Lent,

Examine yourself.

Is your heart divided?

Are you whole?

God longs to establish a friendship with you.

This friendship takes time to develop

This friendship will be more satisfying than anything that the world can give you.