ASH WEDNESDAY

February 25, 2009

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

                                    (2nd Kings 2:1-42; Ps. 50:1-6; II Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9)             

HIGH QUALITY DUST

St. Christopher’s, High Point, NC

 

                                                                 

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU ___ OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER   AMEN

 

    If your non-liturgical friends ever ask ... I mean people not familiar with the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Episcopal Churches .... if they ever begin to tell you that Ash Wednesday is not scriptural ... in fact Lent is not scriptural .... you can shock them!  Tell them what they don’t expect to hear — tell them – they are absolutely correct!

 

    In fact the celebration of Ash Wednesday did not begin for at least 500 or 600 years after Jesus’ death. ... So why do we bother?

 

    Like many things all churches do, Ash Wednesday and Lent are about helping us grow closer to God.  Helping us become more God-like.  Helping us become more like the person God dreams us to be. .... And those goals certainly are scriptural!

 

    Ash Wednesday probably began as the first day of Lent in an effort to make a sharp break from the rest of the year.  Lent is about taking the time to reflect on our life with God and make attempts to improve that relationship.  Lots more about that on Sunday.

 

    Ash Wednesday begins that process by reminding us of who and what we are.  Reminding us, even more importantly, of who and what we are NOT.

 

    I was made to think more about that by a large, office calendar with cartoons about Episcopal life.  On February 1st when we flipped it over, I saw the picture of an Episcopal priest placing ashes on the forehead of a parishioner and saying: “remember you are dust – but a very high quality dust!”

 

    I have met the cartoonist and suspect he was taking a jab at stuck up, holier than thou Episcopalians.  But all month I have been asking myself if he had gotten the correct meaning of Ash Wednesday and Lent — or completely negated the meaning.  Or, as with most things, something in the middle.

 

    You see Ash Wednesday is about reminding ourselves that ultimately — alone – we can do nothing good.  Oh we try.  And occasionally have a brief success or two.  But ultimately we are like dust that just blows away at the slightest breeze.

 

    Even when we have those brief moments of apparent success, we quickly go back to being only dust again.  “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return”

 

    And yet, dust can be used to make concrete.  Fly ash – dust is frequently used in concrete mix.  With the appropriate other elements that dust becomes a very hard, very sturdy, very long lasting material.

 

    And we, although dust, when mixed with God’s instructions, the Holy Spirit’s help, and the Christian community’s support ... we too can become something much more powerful and important than mere dust.

    But unlike fly ash which has not choice in the matter, we have the ability to choose whether or not to join that mix .... or remain only dust forever.  And that is a much more difficult choice to make than we want to believe.  We don’t want to understand our role is important, even essential but ultimately very minor.

 

    “Without God we can do nothing, without us, God will not do anything”

 

    Our role may be essential in that God has chosen to make this a partnership with all parties important.  But our role is actually fairly minor — we are like the dust.

 

    It is difficult to “let go and let God” ... to work as hard as we can while understanding the results are in God’s hands.  I point out to the Vestry that every time we have made an effort to advertise St. Christopher’s new people have visited.  But almost never has it been the people we sent flyers to!  Its as if, and I believe this, God says “if you make the effort I will give you the result.  But I will give you the result in a manner that makes clear I gave it you and you did not do it alone.”

 

    So the challenge we face is whether to take a deep breath, and say to ourselves: “I am only the dust in God’s hands.  But I want to be the dust God uses to make this a better world.” 

 

    I will be saying more about how to achieve that goal ... or move towards that goal .... on Sunday.  For this week, let us focus on the symbolism of Ash Wednesday ... let us try and make that step to understanding our role in God’s plan .... essential, but impossible without God.

 

    Remember you are dust — but you are God’s dust which does make you very high quality dust!

             AMEN

 

                                                                                                                                                                                We have previous sermons on our website.  To read an earlier recent sermon just enter: www.st-christopher.org/sermon.html.

 

CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation.  (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to:  ken@st-christopher.com)