March 2, 2022 – Ash Wednesday

“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.” Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21

Let’s do a small exercise.  I want you to take out a piece of paper and a pencil or pen. On that sheet of paper, I want you to write down all of the things that you hear, all of the noises, all of the sounds that you hear in the next minute. Get ready……..go.

How many do you have?  I bet you have a few things…and that is just sitting wherever you are, on a week day or night, before or after dark. Think about the distractions that we all face throughout our days – and our lives. There are so many noises in our lives. We must fight against the distractions, the weariness, apathy, anxiety, or other temptations that would lead us away from our chances to listen to G-d – to experience the presence of the Spirit in our daily lives.

As adults we hear on average about 20,000 messages a day. How can we fight against these nosies, these distractions, these things that interfere with our relationship with G-d?  On our own, it will be a challenge, but remember, with G-d, anything is possible.

Martin Luther stressed justification by faith through G-d’s grace – it is the center-piece of our Lutheran understanding of salvation. It is by faith that we are justified, made right with G-d – it is not by our works. But this word justification has another connotation – it also means to grow closer to something. When we want to move our words on a page closer to one side or the other, we make sure that it is either right or left justified. Paul also used the word faith interchangeably with the word listen. In other words, “Justification by Faith” can also mean that we draw closer to G-d by listening to G-d – listening with our full attention. 

And so we begin this season of Lent by returning to G-d’s word, by remembering our baptisms as we trace an ashen cross in the very spot where we were marked and sealed with the cross of Christ on our first day as G-d’s holy children, and by making a decision these next forty days to be more attentive to hearing G-d’s voice in our daily lives. 

But first, we are reminded that we are dust, and that one day we will return to dust again – and will be in the presence of G-d.  So we are dead, but yet, even more alive in Christ. This is the great mystery of our faith. We die with Christ on that cross, yet through that death we have life. The cross seems to be a crushing defeat, yet it is the symbol of victory now held high for all to see.  And for this cross, ashen now on our foreheads, permanently marked on our hearts, can we not find twenty minutes of each day to pray – and to listen? It is like any discipline, like any habit, the more intentional we are, the easier it will become.

Let me leave you with these words, from a hymn found in the With One Voice Hymnal, number 712:

“Listen, Listen God is calling, through the word inviting, offering forgiveness, comfort and joy.”

Pastor Dave