Ash Wednesday Sermon - The Rev Adelyn Tyler Williams

[00:00:00] Speaker A: The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you. O Christ Jesus said, beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners so that they may be seen by others. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you fast, do not look dismal like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly, I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face so that your fasting may be seen not by others, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The Gospel of the Lord. Ram. [00:03:21] Speaker B: Through the written word and the spoken word, God help us to hear your living word, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. We entreat you on behalf of Christ, Be reconciled to God. These are some pretty hard hitting words from Paul and his fellow followers of Christ. We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. While Paul is speaking to a specific group of early Christians, his words make me wonder how we are also in need of such a reconciliation. How do I need to be reconciled to God? How do you need to be reconciled to God? How does our church, our community, our nation and our world need to be reconciled to God? Lent is a season that invites us into deep reflection on these big hard questions. It is a season that can help us to make space in our lives, to reflect on the parts of our faith that are challenging. It is a time that can allow us to recognize the difference between the Christians we are and and the Christians we hope to be. The first step in being reconciled to God is to acknowledge where there is distance between us and God, we must notice and name our sin. Our sins, after all, are the things that we do and leave undone that separate us from God. Sin is hard to talk about. There's a number of reasons for that, but I think one is that it can be hard to define in our catechism or our outline of faith. Sin is defined as sin is the seeking of our own will instead of the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation. Notice that the catechism does not include some lengthy list of specific behaviors or ways of being that are sinful, but rather it offers us a general frame of reference. The catechism tells us that our sin is a distortion of relationship. Sin can be hard for us to talk about because it requires vulnerability and deep self awareness. Where am I following my own will instead of God's and thus distorting my relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation? [00:06:46] Speaker A: Oof. [00:06:48] Speaker B: That's hard to think about, and it's even harder to talk about. Yet Lent invites us into this self examination and repentance. The disciples in our reading from Corinthians have continued their faithfulness through great endurance in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger. How often are these a part of our life of faith? How often does our faith, the living of our commitments to God, actually require risk and hardship? For myself, I often wonder if perhaps my life is too comfortable. I could surely be more willing to speak out against injustice. Silence is comfortable. Silence can also be sin. I could give more generously of my time and my resources. Having abundance is comfortable. Hoarding abundance is sin. I could take more risks to protect my neighbors in need. Safety is comfortable. Dismissing the needs of my neighbors is sin. These are just a few examples of the sort of wrestling I find myself in when I consider my own need to be reconciled to God. The disciples in our reading from Corinthians also offer us some tools that have contributed to their faithfulness. They stand firm in their following of Christ by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God. I wonder if just one of these could guide each of us in the season of Lent. Is there a way that knowledge and understanding could reconcile you to God and to your neighbor. In a world that is in particular need of kindness, how can we share genuine love and gentleness with our neighbors? Or perhaps we could be more patient with the people around us and even with ourselves. And of course, it bears reminding that we do all of this through the power of God. We are never doing the work of faith alone. We are always working through the power of God and in the communion of saints. Prayer and reflection on Scripture can give us glimpses of God's power to guide us in our reconciliation to God. In the final line of our reading from Corinthians, Paul notes, we are treated as having nothing and yet possessing everything. It is in having less that we actually have everything we need. Lent invites us into a season of fasting, of having less, perhaps doing less so that we might possess everything. Where Paul says, we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. Our Book of Common Prayer says, I invite you in the name of the Church to the observance of a holy Lent, by self examination and repentance, by prayer, fasting and self denial, and by reading and meditating with God's holy word. Whether in Scripture or in prayer. Our urgent invitation is to be reconciled to God, to be connected to God, to be in right relationship with God's people. The journey may not be comfortable, but many of us could benefit from some discomfort. The journey may not be easy, but many of us could benefit from a challenge. The journey will ask us to take risks, to live with less, to stretch ourselves. But we take this path with the power of God, and we walk this path together. My friends, I entreat you, I invite you, in the name of Christ our Savior, to be reconciled to God in this holy season. May we be honest about the distance that exists between us and God. May we be honest about the distance that exists between us and our neighbors. May we be honest about the distance that exists between who we are and who God is calling us to be. May we name our sins honestly and take the path of repentance. May we find it in ourselves to be patient and kind, to be truthful and understanding, to be compassionate and caring. May we let go and have less so that we might gain everything. May we acknowledge our mortality so that we can know the glory of everlasting life. Today I pray to be reconciled to God. I pray that you will be reconciled to God here in this moment, and again and again through the course of life, again and again, as many times as we need it. Let us be reconciled to God and to one another. Amen.