Ash Wednesday,
February 13, 2013
Scripture: Matthew
6: 1-5, 16-21
SERMON: “Avoiding the Quick-Fix”
At first glance, the reading from
Matthew’s Gospel might be seen as a lecture from Jesus. It’s not a lesson. It’s not a parable. It’s not a thought-provoking story that makes
sense to the simple and the wise. It’s a
lecture.
If we heard such words from someone
in our lives, it would certainly come across like a lecture. Why…we might even roll our eyes or say,
“Okay, OKAY” like we do when we have heard suggestions given to us by someone
who truly cares about us but wants us to change what we are doing.
Yet Jesus seems to be taking it for
granted that his followers would perform religious, faithful acts such as
prayer and almsgiving and fasting; he just wanted to make sure they were done
solely for his sake and for the sake of his kingdom. After all, worship is simply meaningless
unless it is performed solely for the right reasons.
That is an excellent place to begin
our study of Lent.
So let’s do it right. Let’s avoid the shallow, the superficial, the
“sacrifices” that somehow make us feel more righteous without actually
accomplishing anything! Lent is a time
for going deeper; it is not a time to settle for the bumper-sticker answers,
the cheap slogan, the smiling condemnation of others who don’t fit our mold of
Christian life. Let's avoid the easy, the short-cuts, the quick-fix. It is a time for us to
have a serious conversation with ourselves and with our Lord.
Let’s start with just five
suggestions.
The first suggestion I would like to
offer is to not limit ourselves to the season of Lent. If you choose to fast or to give up something
for Lent, challenge yourself to do it beyond the season of Lent. Keep in mind the reason you are doing it – to
sharpen yourself for the study of the death and resurrection of our Lord. If fasting helps your own discipline, that is
a good thing; if it only gives you an excuse to whine, you might as well not do
it at all. And if you announce it loudly
and dramatically to all who surround you, then you are seeking their approval
rather than the approval of your Lord and Savior.
Next: “wrestle” with your own
devils. In our modern time, it seems
that everyone has an opinion about everything, and if you disagree, you are
opening yourself up to withering criticism.
So many of us adopt a combative stance about our opinions that leads us
to hardening our views like concrete. No
chance to grow and change. Just dig
in. I would like us to challenge that
type of thing. Read blogs, articles, or
even books that you know you are going to disagree with. Choose those materials that will
directly challenge all that you believe.
In doing so, you open yourself up to new thinking and possibly new
insights into what others truly believe.
No one is asking you to change your mind; just listen to others. Choose your topic – wow…there are plenty of
them. Perhaps avoid watching them on
television because the emotion is too easy to get into. Try reading and examining what is going
on. Wonder about statements and opinions
you don’t agree with. See what
happens. Wrestle with that devil.
Third: Welcome the Samaritans. In fact, go to Samaria and see them for
yourself! In the news, we always hear
reports of “Good Samaritans” who stop and help others. I always chuckle when I heard this term
because it is supposed to represent someone you wouldn’t get near on your worst
day doing the unbelievable – actually helping someone he or she should
hate. Who are the Samaritans in your
life? Welcome them in. Invite them to church. In fact, go and see them! You might find that they are seeking the same
Lord that you are.
Fourth: Let Jesus restore your eyesight. Many times when Jesus healed people,
especially the blind, there was some conversation about faith. The people who saw Jesus heal the afflicted believed
it – but they were also astounded when it happened because Jesus spoke of sins being forgiven and
faith that makes us well. Perhaps we are
not seeing things as they truly are. Is
our eyesight failing us because we can’t see things differently? Are we so stuck in the past – with all its
failures, triumphs, sadness, joy, and influence over our current lives that we
cannot see? If so, then we need Jesus to
restore our eyesight. Because there is
so much he is showing us!
Last one: Quit wiggling and let the
Master wash your feet. When Jesus did
this just prior to the Last Supper, can you imagine how uncomfortable his
disciples were? Their master, washing
and drying their feet? That was work for
a servant. And that’s exactly what Jesus
was trying to get across to them: they were leaders by being servants. It is uncomfortable. It makes us uneasy at times. We would all rather that Jesus takes
the lead and we can just follow and glorify.
But Jesus the Master calls all of us to, not only get our feet washed, but to be
servants of one another...to do some foot washing, in other words. If we can truly do that in some form or
fashion, then the lessons and mysteries of Lent will not be lost on us.
So let the season of Lent begin this
evening. Let us prepare our hearts and
minds for this amazing time.
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