If
there were ever a day that made you say, Wait…what? It’s Ash Wednesday. My
father, who loved words and learned to speak English more properly than most native
English speakers, would have called today “counterintuitive.” I suppose if you
were texting someone you’d say WT, well, most of you know what the last letter
is if you text, don’t you? If you don’t text, you can guess when I tell you the
first two words are “what the.”
Our
church tells us Ash Wednesday and Lent is a time to remember our mortality –
that we won’t live forever as we’re living now. And, that it’s a time to repent
of our sins and amend our lives. And that’s certainly true.
But
then we hear the Gospel reading that Deacon Beth just read. And in it, Jesus tells
us not to practice our piety, in other words, show off how holy we think we
are, in front of others. So we’re told two things, one by the church, and one
by the Bible that seem opposite of one another.
To make it even
worse, most of us go out of here tonight wearing a cross on our foreheads made
of ashes. And if we go somewhere other than home we probably get odd looks,
because let’s face it, not everyone is a Christian, or comes from a part of
Christianity that does ashes on Ash Wednesday. But for us, those ashes are a
reminder of what we need to change or do differently to get closer to God.
But
do you know what Ash Wednesday and the six weeks of Lent are also all about?
They’re about the future. It’s something that sounds counterintuitive, or makes
you say, “Wait…what? Or, even text someone with, “What the…”
Would
you like to know why Ash Wednesday and Lent are about the future? If you don’t,
please feel free to tune me out. But, if you’re curious, here’s what I know
about how you get to your preferred future.
First, you have to
examine or look closely at where you are right now. Let’s call where you are
right now, “A.” And you have to admit to yourself, and maybe to some others, or
to one other person, where you are right now. The truth about who you are right
now. All the things you wish you hadn’t done, the lies you’ve told, the mean
and spiteful things you did, and okay, let’s call it like the Bible does, your
sins. You have to get honest.
If
this sounds to some of you familiar with recovery like what you do in recovery,
you’re right. What might be a little different is that you have to love
yourself where you are right now. You might not love your behavior, or the
person you have become so far, but remember, God loves us just as we are, not in spite
of who we are. We need to love ourselves, warts and all, as the saying goes, because
that repeats and acknowledges and reminds us what God already does. It doesn’t
justify our behavior, but it’s fearless honesty about both being where we are
right now, and knowing God loves us and wants to help us find a different way
of being.
Once
we’re willing to do this, we need to imagine where we want to get. Let’s call
that getting to “B.” “B” is where you want to get to, whatever that might be.
Maybe it’s being kinder, gentler, more caring, drug and/or alcohol free, a
better mom, a better dad, or a better kid. Maybe it’s forgiving others, maybe
it’s being more giving to others.
So
you’re ready to admit and love where you are right now, even if you don’t much
like it. And, you have a clear picture, or sense, or example, of what you want
for the future, your preferred future.
What’s
next? Well, first, it is important to
tell yourself what the future will be like in positive and good language.
Rather than saying, “I want to stop being mean,” ask yourself what the opposite
of “mean” is. Pick the word or words that are the opposite of the behavior or
state of being you want to change or stop. Because, it really isn’t possible to
be “less mean.” It is possible to be
kinder, to be gentler, to be more loving. But it’s sort of like a song you hear
that gets stuck in your brain. If you stick, “I won’t do this,” in your brain,
all you’ll think about is how much you want to do it. If instead, you find what
you really want to do, and stick that
in your brain and heart, you’ll focus on that. Think of it as saying “no” to
something so you can say a deeper and better “yes” to what you really want and
what you believe God wants for you. Even old St Paul complained about doing the
things he didn’t want to do instead of the ones he did, in the book of Romans.[1]
So
how do we get from “A” to “B”? Resources:
the things we need to get to “B.” Most of us think of resources now as human
resources or people, so that might apply. The person you need might be a tutor,
or a counselor, or someone you admire so you watch and learn from them. It might
mean watching some great U-Tube videos about kindness and thinking about how
they apply to what you want to become. It might mean finding a great recovery
program. It might mean a combination of several things. And then sometimes you
need a trusted friend to help you be accountable, or to check on you now and
then. Maybe there’s someone in your life you trust to text or call you once in
a while and say, “Hey, how’s it going?” Whatever resources you need, gather
them together.
But,
a resource could be many other things. You have to look at “B” and ask yourself
what you need to get there.
So
that’s what Ash Wednesday and Lent are all about. Getting closer to God by getting
from “A” to “B” and locating the resources you need to get there. Jesus knew
our brains work better tuned to positive. You can hear it in the Gospel
tonight. Jesus ends what he says by describing what to do instead. He says
don’t even think about what you give with one hand, just give it. Forget
praying on street corners, do it in a good quiet place instead. If you’re going
to give something up, don’t sulk about it, enjoy what happens when you do. Wash
your face, put on a smile. And remember, if you store up stuff, it’ll just rust
away or insects will eat it. So store up the good stuff, being with God, being
alone, and being with people, getting from “A” to “B” and asking God and people
you trust to help you get the resources you need to get to “B.” Because that’ll
be your treasure, and because that’s your treasure, that’s where you’ll love to
live. AMEN.
The Rev Nicolette Papanek
©2016
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