Those words remind us that without God, we are simply
dust and ashes. Death is the end.
The messy smudge you will receive in the shape of a cross
reminds us of our fragile lives in a fragile world.
That’s why the Lenten season urges us to turn and return
to the source of abundant life.
Our Christian faith tells us that death is not the end.
There is hope.
The Lenten season proclaims the reason for this living
hope.
I guess we would
all agree the world isn’t, as we would like it to be.
But how can the
world change when we can hardly change ourselves?
In a sober consideration of our mortality, we face
temptations along with Christ that would detour us from living in newness of
life in our earthly life.
Lent invites us to invite the Spirit to breathe life more
fully into lives that are nothing but dust and ashes without that life-giving
Spirit.
The service of Ash Wednesday looks at everything in our
lives that threatens to turn our lives to dust.
That’s why we
shouldn’t be surprised when Jesus turns the dynamics of change in our personal
lives and shows us how to be the change we want to see in the world.
Because you will
see that the Key concept according to Jesus is the opposite of what we expect.
If we want to
see change in the outside world the first step is to withdraw into our inner
world.
To see change in
the outside world we need to connect with God in secret. Connect with God in
secret and results will occur openly for everyone to see.
How does that
work?.
Jesus offers
three specific examples of how this withdrawal process works.
Giving in secret
Praying in
secret
Fasting in
secret.
Giving, praying
fasting are often called spiritual disciplines. Actions within our power that
make us capable of things we belief to be beyond our capability.
For example. If
you want run a 20 mile race. First you must train in private. You don’t enter
the London marathon and turn up in full public view to run it in front of the
world without any training do you?
You can get
dress look the part and then have your photos taken. But as for completing the
race. If you try you will fail to reach the finish line.
Quite often
people say to me do you think if you didn’t train you could still run a
marathon? The simple answer is no.
That’s why Jesus
emphasise the importance of practicing prayer, fasting, and giving in secret.
If we don’t
withdraw from public view we will constantly turn our spiritual practices into
a show for others, which sabotage any chance of change taking place in us.
So instead of
appearing to be more holy or spiritual in public than we are in private, Jesus
urges us to become more holy or spiritual in private than we appear to be in
public.
Make perfect
sense doesn’t it.
When it comes to
giving to the poor. Jesus says don’t publicise your generosity like the
hypocrites do. Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. By
giving in secret, you’ll experience the true reward of giving.
It’s the same
when it comes to prayer. Jesus says. Prayer can either strengthen your soul in
private or raise your profile in public., but not both.
Rather than the elaborate
eloquent prayers in public, A few simple words uttered in private is acceptable
to God.
Especially since
God knows what you need before you even ask.
As the ashes are applied to each individual later on in
this Ash Wednesday service, with a solemn confession,.
the declaration of forgiveness stresses that we are
reconciled, redeemed, forgiven and released from the bondage of the dust of
death.
But there are
just a few simple but profound steps that we need to take.
1. We need to orientate ourselves to God.
Acknowledge God as a loving parent.
2. Align our greatest desire with God’s
greatest desire.
First ask
what is it that God wants….we want the world to be a kind place. Then we are to
make God’s dreames come true, God’s justice and compassion reigns
3. Bring God our needs and concerns, Physical
– food and shelter as well as our spiritual needs for forgiveness, wrongs and
reconciliation.
4. Prepare ourselves for the public world we
will soon re-enter on Maundy Thursday. Guided away from temptations and trials.
The word from Jesus and this Lenten season seek to more
fully connect heart and hand, words and deeds so that the Gospel words and
Gospel deeds are connected for the sake of the world God loves.
The world won’t
change unless we change, and we won’t change unless we pull away from the
world’s games and pressures, stresses of life.
And so this Lenten season is a time to deal with those
blockages in relationship to God, to ourselves, and to people with whom we
live.
But we must accept the invitation to a spiritual
examination and forty days of healing therapy.
And in in
secrecy, in solitude, in God’s presence, a new creation a new beginning, like a
seed can begin to take root. And if that life takes root in us, we can be sure
it can bear fruit through us. Fruit that can change the world.
Pray that this
lent your secret life will reconnect with God beyond your imagination and that
you will be the instrument for change that God created you to be.-
