Sermon from Ash Wednesday 21st February 2007
One of our NSM trainees, Michael Brooks, preached at the Ash Wednesday evening service at St. Paul's. Readings were from Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 & 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10.
May I speak in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I would like to start by asking ‘Why have we come here tonight?’, and this is related to the traditional question, ‘What do you intend to give up during Lent?’ and these are both part of the bigger question of ‘What does Lent mean to you?’ Now do not worry, I promise I am not going to embarrass anyone by leaving this lectern, and then approaching you armed with the radio microphone to put you on the spot, so you are safe from me at least. Of course Lent is a time of repentance and this sermon is a reflection on this theme. You will have received a stone at the start of this service. You may wish to think how this stone could represent something that you wish to leave behind in your past.
Now the first question ‘Why have we come here tonight?’ is relatively easy to answer. We have come here tonight on this Ash Wednesday evening to mark the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent has become the Season in our tradition where we focus on the events that lead to Good Friday. The origins of Lent are unclear, but they do date from the third century and were originally a period of fasting and preparation for Easter. The forty days are symbolic of the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing himself for ministry. In much of Early Church tradition, Lent was also a time of preparation for the baptism of believers which usually occurred at Easter. We have lost this link in our tradition. It is helpful to think that the events for which we are preparing are the remembrance and celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This, in turn, is re-enacted in baptisms which are conducted with full immersion in the water. The believer is symbolically drowned and raised to life again. Although we are not going to be baptised again at Easter, I find it helpful to use this image.
So now we know why we are here and this is a good start. The questions now begin to challenge us a little more. So, what of the traditional question, ‘What do you intend to give up during Lent?’ Many people do indeed ‘give up’ things during Lent, and I often wonder why….. For the next point I am sorry to pick on those who smoke, but smoking makes the best illustration. If it is a good idea to give up smoking during Lent, is it not a good idea to give it up altogether?’ And what does this giving up achieve? Does our suffering, and possibly the suffering induced in those around us, really enable our preparation for Good Friday. I sometimes imagine Jesus dying on the cross, and being greeted by people like me. ‘Jesus’ I would say, ‘I gave up smoking for a whole 40 days because I am so grateful for what you are doing’. This question, of the worthiness or otherwise of our sacrifices, is for us all to answer for ourselves, but lest we become complacent I should like to introduce a most unsettling idea.
Endemic in our culture is what has been called the cult of Diana. I am not talking about the Diana of ancient Greek mythology but the Diana of Kensington, now sadly deceased, who signified and championed a mythology. In this mythology, or world-view, ‘religion’ is subsumed as just one aspect of a life which has a correct balance of social care, worship of self-image and the enjoyment of the material. And this all leads to happiness. Underlying this cult is the basic notion that we are all good people, and this has permeated thinking with the Church. However, in a book titled ’the Problem of Pain’, CS Lewis describes how people may be in a group, such as a school, institution, regiment or indeed a global Christian denomination. Within this group a particular standard of behaviour seems normal. It is only when people leave this self-reassuring environment that they realise how wicked and unworthy they are. I had such a realisation when I visited the war torn area of Sudan and saw people being buried who had starved to death. So it might be the case with all of us gathered here, in that our commonly understood goodness is a mere illusion. The evidence that this might be the case is there. Scattered throughout time and place in history are people that CS Lewis lists such as Jeremiah, Socrates, Zarathustra and Jesus who have been at odds with the whole of society in stating what is right. Remember how Jesus said it was as bad to look lustfully at someone as it was to commit adultery with them. We have watered this down to the more acceptable notion of it only being really bad if we make plans in our mind to seduce the person or even take them by force. But what if Jesus really meant it? It would mean that most of us here are as wicked as adulterers and rapists, and in great need of God‘s forgiveness.
Is it likely then, that we can truly give up anything in Lent as an adequate response to the mercy that God has for us? I would suggest that a brief period of self-denial is almost insulting to God. In the passage that we read in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus said that those who have done their deeds in public receive their reward through the admiration of other people but not from God. God rewards those who do things in secret. In other words God rewards those who do what they do as a consequence of their relationship with God and for no other purpose. So if we are in relationship with God and imagine that we are in dialogue with God, we should not be asking ourselves the question ‘What shall I give up for God’, but perhaps we should listen to hear what God wants us to stop doing, and also listen to hear what it is that God wants us to do.
So, the last question, ‘What does Lent mean to you?’ There is no getting away from the fact that Lent is a most symbolic time in the liturgical year. On the subject of the liturgical year, I think it is a good thing that we spend different times of year focussing on different aspects of our faith. This is not to stave off boredom, but it is because even those living a monastic life could not contemplate well all things at all times. Having said that, it could be argued that the focus of Lent is the most important one in the liturgical year, so much so that we return to the themes each time we celebrate Communion together.
This symbolism has started now. It is, for example, unusual for us to gather on a Wednesday night. Later many of us will receive the mark of the Cross on our forehead to symbolise the start of a season of penitence. Jesus calls us to repent. He started his teaching in the Gospel of Mark with the phrase ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand’. The Greek word for repent is metanoia and this word means a complete change of heart and mind. If you can take just one word away from this sermon, then metanoia would be a good choice. Of course we can not have a complete change of heart and mind every time someone mentions repentance, but at this time of Lent we could perhaps think of where we are now, where we once wanted to be, and where we think God is calling us to be. I am not suggesting that we all make major decisions about what jobs we do or where we live, but perhaps we should think and pray about how we live our lives and whether they express in actions what we profess to believe. You may decide that a period of self-denial is worthwhile as it helps you to grow in your relationship with God. In the reading from Corinthians, St Paul implored the Christians in Corinth to be reconciled to God and urged them not to receive God’s grace in vain. In other words Paul asked them to deepen their relationship with God, and I think that is what Lent is for.
The symbolism of Lent is to assist us with a process of change within us. I do not believe that we humans can perform rituals that oblige God to pour out God’s grace upon us. Rather it is that such rituals will help us in our faithfulness and the way that we respond to God. It is through this that God’s grace will flow in to our lives. But do not be mistaken as to how God’s grace might feel. For St Paul it meant a life of hardship. And such lives are not buried in history. A few weekends ago I shared a room with an Ethiopian Christian who had been imprisoned for spreading the Gospel whilst at medical school; he now lives in this country as an exile. Being a channel for God’s grace and peace was not easy for him.
Going back to the stones, on the table over there is a large bowl of water. You may have been able to think of something that your stone could represent in your life. You are invited to place the stone in the bowl. You can do this either before or after you have received the ashings or received Communion, or even after the service has formally ended. Lower the stone gently in to the water to symbolise that you have parted from this ambition, or habit or whatever it is that you wish to stop doing. I suggest you lower the stone gently not just to stop the bowl being cracked or chipped [!] but because you recognise that what you are giving up might have with it some sense of personal loss. When I was on a retreat recently, I realised that it was my ambition to be rich and famous as a musician that was getting in the way of living the life that God wanted me to live. And if you are wanting to balance this loss with something positive, you may wish to light a candle in your house to symbolise something which you are going to start doing, and you might wish to think about this and light the candle on Easter day as part of a new beginning.
Let us pray that the will of God will prevail in our lives.
Amen
May I speak in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I would like to start by asking ‘Why have we come here tonight?’, and this is related to the traditional question, ‘What do you intend to give up during Lent?’ and these are both part of the bigger question of ‘What does Lent mean to you?’ Now do not worry, I promise I am not going to embarrass anyone by leaving this lectern, and then approaching you armed with the radio microphone to put you on the spot, so you are safe from me at least. Of course Lent is a time of repentance and this sermon is a reflection on this theme. You will have received a stone at the start of this service. You may wish to think how this stone could represent something that you wish to leave behind in your past.
Now the first question ‘Why have we come here tonight?’ is relatively easy to answer. We have come here tonight on this Ash Wednesday evening to mark the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent has become the Season in our tradition where we focus on the events that lead to Good Friday. The origins of Lent are unclear, but they do date from the third century and were originally a period of fasting and preparation for Easter. The forty days are symbolic of the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing himself for ministry. In much of Early Church tradition, Lent was also a time of preparation for the baptism of believers which usually occurred at Easter. We have lost this link in our tradition. It is helpful to think that the events for which we are preparing are the remembrance and celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This, in turn, is re-enacted in baptisms which are conducted with full immersion in the water. The believer is symbolically drowned and raised to life again. Although we are not going to be baptised again at Easter, I find it helpful to use this image.
So now we know why we are here and this is a good start. The questions now begin to challenge us a little more. So, what of the traditional question, ‘What do you intend to give up during Lent?’ Many people do indeed ‘give up’ things during Lent, and I often wonder why….. For the next point I am sorry to pick on those who smoke, but smoking makes the best illustration. If it is a good idea to give up smoking during Lent, is it not a good idea to give it up altogether?’ And what does this giving up achieve? Does our suffering, and possibly the suffering induced in those around us, really enable our preparation for Good Friday. I sometimes imagine Jesus dying on the cross, and being greeted by people like me. ‘Jesus’ I would say, ‘I gave up smoking for a whole 40 days because I am so grateful for what you are doing’. This question, of the worthiness or otherwise of our sacrifices, is for us all to answer for ourselves, but lest we become complacent I should like to introduce a most unsettling idea.
Endemic in our culture is what has been called the cult of Diana. I am not talking about the Diana of ancient Greek mythology but the Diana of Kensington, now sadly deceased, who signified and championed a mythology. In this mythology, or world-view, ‘religion’ is subsumed as just one aspect of a life which has a correct balance of social care, worship of self-image and the enjoyment of the material. And this all leads to happiness. Underlying this cult is the basic notion that we are all good people, and this has permeated thinking with the Church. However, in a book titled ’the Problem of Pain’, CS Lewis describes how people may be in a group, such as a school, institution, regiment or indeed a global Christian denomination. Within this group a particular standard of behaviour seems normal. It is only when people leave this self-reassuring environment that they realise how wicked and unworthy they are. I had such a realisation when I visited the war torn area of Sudan and saw people being buried who had starved to death. So it might be the case with all of us gathered here, in that our commonly understood goodness is a mere illusion. The evidence that this might be the case is there. Scattered throughout time and place in history are people that CS Lewis lists such as Jeremiah, Socrates, Zarathustra and Jesus who have been at odds with the whole of society in stating what is right. Remember how Jesus said it was as bad to look lustfully at someone as it was to commit adultery with them. We have watered this down to the more acceptable notion of it only being really bad if we make plans in our mind to seduce the person or even take them by force. But what if Jesus really meant it? It would mean that most of us here are as wicked as adulterers and rapists, and in great need of God‘s forgiveness.
Is it likely then, that we can truly give up anything in Lent as an adequate response to the mercy that God has for us? I would suggest that a brief period of self-denial is almost insulting to God. In the passage that we read in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus said that those who have done their deeds in public receive their reward through the admiration of other people but not from God. God rewards those who do things in secret. In other words God rewards those who do what they do as a consequence of their relationship with God and for no other purpose. So if we are in relationship with God and imagine that we are in dialogue with God, we should not be asking ourselves the question ‘What shall I give up for God’, but perhaps we should listen to hear what God wants us to stop doing, and also listen to hear what it is that God wants us to do.
So, the last question, ‘What does Lent mean to you?’ There is no getting away from the fact that Lent is a most symbolic time in the liturgical year. On the subject of the liturgical year, I think it is a good thing that we spend different times of year focussing on different aspects of our faith. This is not to stave off boredom, but it is because even those living a monastic life could not contemplate well all things at all times. Having said that, it could be argued that the focus of Lent is the most important one in the liturgical year, so much so that we return to the themes each time we celebrate Communion together.
This symbolism has started now. It is, for example, unusual for us to gather on a Wednesday night. Later many of us will receive the mark of the Cross on our forehead to symbolise the start of a season of penitence. Jesus calls us to repent. He started his teaching in the Gospel of Mark with the phrase ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand’. The Greek word for repent is metanoia and this word means a complete change of heart and mind. If you can take just one word away from this sermon, then metanoia would be a good choice. Of course we can not have a complete change of heart and mind every time someone mentions repentance, but at this time of Lent we could perhaps think of where we are now, where we once wanted to be, and where we think God is calling us to be. I am not suggesting that we all make major decisions about what jobs we do or where we live, but perhaps we should think and pray about how we live our lives and whether they express in actions what we profess to believe. You may decide that a period of self-denial is worthwhile as it helps you to grow in your relationship with God. In the reading from Corinthians, St Paul implored the Christians in Corinth to be reconciled to God and urged them not to receive God’s grace in vain. In other words Paul asked them to deepen their relationship with God, and I think that is what Lent is for.
The symbolism of Lent is to assist us with a process of change within us. I do not believe that we humans can perform rituals that oblige God to pour out God’s grace upon us. Rather it is that such rituals will help us in our faithfulness and the way that we respond to God. It is through this that God’s grace will flow in to our lives. But do not be mistaken as to how God’s grace might feel. For St Paul it meant a life of hardship. And such lives are not buried in history. A few weekends ago I shared a room with an Ethiopian Christian who had been imprisoned for spreading the Gospel whilst at medical school; he now lives in this country as an exile. Being a channel for God’s grace and peace was not easy for him.
Going back to the stones, on the table over there is a large bowl of water. You may have been able to think of something that your stone could represent in your life. You are invited to place the stone in the bowl. You can do this either before or after you have received the ashings or received Communion, or even after the service has formally ended. Lower the stone gently in to the water to symbolise that you have parted from this ambition, or habit or whatever it is that you wish to stop doing. I suggest you lower the stone gently not just to stop the bowl being cracked or chipped [!] but because you recognise that what you are giving up might have with it some sense of personal loss. When I was on a retreat recently, I realised that it was my ambition to be rich and famous as a musician that was getting in the way of living the life that God wanted me to live. And if you are wanting to balance this loss with something positive, you may wish to light a candle in your house to symbolise something which you are going to start doing, and you might wish to think about this and light the candle on Easter day as part of a new beginning.
Let us pray that the will of God will prevail in our lives.
Amen
posted by Parish Administrator at 6:54 am
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