Why ashes?
Matthew 6:1-6 (NRSV)
6 “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.
2 “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. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 “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. 6 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.
Why ashes?
In this year’s Lenten devotional, Fellowship of Prayer, Disciples General Minister Sharon Watkins and Lexington Seminary Professor Rick Lowery begin by asking a wonderful question: how do people who are told by Jesus to pray in private then turn around on Ash Wednesday and publicly wear ashes all day long?
Jesus has a very specific term for people who practice their faith in a way that is designed to attract the attention of others. He simply calls them hypocrites. He has no time for people who do not live out the faith that they proclaim. For that matter, neither does our culture. One of the biggest (and most legitimate) critiques of the Church today is that we are simply a bunch of hypocrites.
Rev. Dr. Watkins and Prof. Lowery remind us that part of the answer comes in the form of examining our motivation. Jesus is not specifically precluding long prayers in public places. Indeed, he himself prayed all night with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is calling us to evaluate why we do things and to ask whether we need to refocus on him. Our lives can be a light in the darkness. They can also be the stumbling block that trips up our brothers and sisters.
Usually our lives are a bit of both. Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season are a great time to figure out where we are on the spectrum. Tonight we will be gathering for worship. We will have an imposition of ashes. The ashes will symbolize our frailty, our penance, and our need for Christ. You are welcome to wear your ashes home or to wash them off at the door. Why we choose to do what we do is far more important than what we do.
For me the ashes are a valuable reminder that I cannot do this life on my own. It is specifically because of my hypocrisy that I need Christ in my life. The cross that I will wear on my way out the door is a reminder to myself of just how far he was willing to go in order to be in my life. The fact that so many people will gather with me in a public acknowledgement of our brokenness is a reminder and a comfort that I am not alone. We are all in need of love and forgiveness.
This morning I give thanks to God that there are so many humble and faithful Disciples beginning this Lenten journey with me.
