Ash Wednesday
The Rev. Dena Cleaver-Bartholomew
For many Christians around the world Ash Wednesday services mark a familiar, somber beginning to a holy Lent. Ash Wednesday is set apart as a day of fasting, quiet reflection, and repentance. It is a day when we, as God’s people, examine the gap between who we are and who we are called to be. Part of being human is to be imperfect. Ash Wednesday—indeed the whole of Lent—gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the reality of our brokenness and the distance it creates in our relationships with God and with each other.
Given the serious and sin focused nature of Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season, it would be easy to question how it could hold good news for us. For those outside our tradition the observance of Lent as a deeply penitential season can be quite puzzling. Self-abasement is not a cultural virtue, and the prospect of dwelling at length on one’s flaws hardly sounds psychologically healthy. Yet the truth is that in order to grow in any way, we must begin with where we are.
We
are sinful by nature. Our brokenness can
lead us to turn away from God, to be distant from one another, to be dishonest
with ourselves about how we choose to live our lives. The point of Lent is to assess ourselves honestly
in terms of who we are and where we are in our relationships with God and other
people. It is like pausing to do a
little land navigation and orienteering in the middle of our spiritual
journey. Where are we?
Where is that in terms of where we want to go? How do we get from A to B? Repentance, which means literally “to turn”,
is what we need when we realize that the path we are on is not taking us where
we want. We need to turn away from
whatever is drawing us away from the love of God and turn instead toward
God. What is holding us back? If we ask the question sincerely and listen
quietly for a response, it may surprise us.
Often we know what keeps us from God.
It makes little difference whether a bird be held by a slender thread
or by a rope; the bird is bound, and cannot fly until the cord that holds it is
broken.
In today’s reading from the prophet Joel we hear the pleading voice of God, who
calls us to true repentance. No matter what the cord, no matter how far the distance, the journey to God can begin now. “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.” What God desires is true repentance, the willingness to turn our hearts and our lives around so that, by the grace of God, we can be changed. While we do this very thing symbolically in this Ash Wednesday liturgy, what is clear is that God calls us to inner transformation. We have form; we need substance. In a moment you will be invited to come forward to have ashes placed on your forehead as a mark of true repentance. I encourage you to see these steps as the first of your Lenten journey into a deeper, more honest relationship with God. Bring your whole self. You’ll be amazed at what God can do.
Amen