Ash Wednesday
Let me just start off by saying that it feels strange to invite you into Lent, since I know some people feel like we have been living in Lent for the past two years. Certainly we’re all ready for some resurrection and new life right now after a long and painful pandemic. But this is also a teachable moment. We might think of COVID life as Lenten because it has involved austerity and lots of restrictions. And for many people in our culture (and perhaps for some people here) that seems to be what Lent is all about: going without things that we enjoy and generally being somber, even though we would rather not be. But if that is our thinking, then we are missing something crucial. Lent is a serious season, to be sure, but the essence of Lent is not deprivation. Rather, it is about discovering or re-discovering where our treasure lies.
And to do that, the teachings of Christ and the wisdom of our tradition call us, in broad strokes, to do two things. The first is simplify, simplify, simplify. We inhabit a complicated world and lead complicated lives. We’ve got lots of clutter: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. We can gorge ourselves with food, news, videos, music, you name it. Fasting is the practice of simplifying. That pertains directly to food, of course, but we can fast from many other things as well. After all, so much of the stuff that occupies us on a daily basis is non-essential; so many of the things that we devote time and energy to can actually distract us from the one needful thing. Our treasure does not lie in our snacks or our entertainment; it doesn’t lie in our clothes, our possessions, our social life, the things we obsess over, or all the thoughts that crowd our brains throughout the day. We can fast from some of these non-essentials for a while, we can let them go, in order to focus on what matters most. It’s not like being in prison and forced to eat only bread and water: it’s like choosing to stay home for the evening with a beloved spouse or friend, letting go of everything else for a time, and giving that person our undivided attention.
Before I went to seminary, I served as an intern at a parish. I was unmarried at the time, and this wonderful family adopted me and frequently invited me to their home. But every time I went there, they would be bustling around doing chores and getting the meal ready. They meant well, but I never really got to visit with them because they just wouldn’t slow down and actually talk to me or listen to me. We can be very busy with lots of things and our lives can be so full of stuff. But sometimes we need to drop some of our busyness, get rid of some of the clutter, create some space, and breathe. This season bids us to do just that. Simplify, simplify, simplify.
And along with simplicity, Lent calls us to awareness, awareness, awareness. Greater simplicity inevitably leads to greater awareness. There is no spiritual growth, indeed there is hardly any spiritual life, without awareness. Just consider what this liturgy invites us to do. In receiving ashes we are called to be aware that we are creatures, made by and for a God of love. In confessing our sins we are called to be aware of all the ways we don’t love and aware of our need for God’s mercy and forgiveness. To give alms is to be aware of the suffering and the needs of others. To pray is to be aware of God, whether that comes as a strong sense of God’s presence or just our desire to be in God’s presence. And beyond this worship service we have opportunities to practice being aware literally every moment: hugging a loved one, walking the dog, preparing for a difficult meeting, brushing our teeth. The only thing it takes to be aware is to be aware.
But we can be so preoccupied, so busy doing so many things that we aren’t fully aware of any of them. Or often we just want to escape and not be aware of whatever we are doing or feeling. But it is only in the reality of the present moment that God can meet us and love us. I know when I get anxious, for example, I may take that out on others by being irritable or difficult like an unconscious reflex, or I might try to distract myself by reading something stupid or grabbing something unhealthy to eat without even thinking about it. But when I can just be aware, everything goes so much better: I am aware that I am anxious, I am aware of what triggered it, I am aware that this negative energy within me can be directed in bad ways, I am aware that feeling this way won’t kill me. And I am aware that God knows it all, cares about it all, and will give me all that I need. Awareness, awareness, awareness.
Simplicity and awareness are the distinguishing features of authentic Lenten observance, and they always point us to our real treasure: the undying and unconditional love of God, revealed to us in Jesus and poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That treasure is always within us and always available to us. Finding that treasure is the only reason to go through Lent. If we focus on depriving ourselves, we are missing the point. If we focus on punishing ourselves, we are missing the point. If we focus on generally being grim and unpleasant, we are missing the point. As we enter into Lent, I encourage you to look honestly at your life and ask yourself, “What most prevents me from knowing and experiencing the love of God?” And then find ways to simplify your life and let go of some things that distract you from that love or get in the way of your relationship with God. And then practice being aware: live each moment, or as many moments as you can, present to reality and present to God. Find your treasure and in doing so, you will find the core of your being, your true self. For as Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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