Ash Wednesday (February 14, 2018)

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: 2 Corinthians 6:2
Theme: Now Is The Time

Dear followers to the cross,

“Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.”1 It’s never too soon to confess your sins. It’s never premature to receive God’s forgiveness. Mortality sharpens our focus. The deliberate sobriety of lent assists us in these things. Ashes are a stark reminder of our limitations and the tenuous nature of life. A corpse has no sentience. Sentience is the ability to perceive, to feel, to be self-aware. It speaks to the capacity of the senses to be conscious of their surroundings. For most people, dying doesn’t happen all at once. It’s a process. Senility, a decline mostly in cognitive function, is one stage of the journey towards lack of sentience. Death means the endpoint has been reached.

Today is Ash Wednesday. The Scripture is clear, “Dust you are and to dust you will return.”2 And Job confesses, “I am reduced to dust and ashes.”3 What is the ash that the human body is composed of? Those who know the Periodic Table know it’s more than 99% of these few elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus. There are trace elements of five others and that’s it! (Don’t panic, the ashes you’ll soon be marked with are made from Palm leaves!) But what is life itself made of? And what is the composition of the soul? The technical advances of science will never discover it. Humans were made in the image of God.

Lent is typically characterized as the sinner’s struggle for obedience. It’s often seen as a renewed effort to resist temptation and follow God’s way of holiness. The whole idea of sacrificing something is meant to help the believer identify more closely with the humility of Jesus and serve as a regime of discipline. There’s nothing wrong with this until it becomes and exercise in false piety.

Let’s be clear about the ability of the human will to follow God, pursue any measure of righteousness, or even desire that which is godly. Before the Holy Spirit’s work of conversion, the human will has no such ability whatsoever. Any desire or pursuit of godliness is simply not on the agenda. Outwardly, people might do some good, generous, and useful things (and these are to be encouraged). But in a state of unbelief, these are still sins before God. After the Holy Spirit converts, the human will then cooperates in seeking the will of God. Believers have desires (these being gifts of God themselves) which now align with God’s good and gracious will.

Well, and good. But believers immediately recognize that the old feelings, the cravings, the selfish desires, don’t automatically disappear. In fact, they can seem more intense. The sinful nature still has life and Satan is very experienced. That’s why lent should begin with candid recognition of our frailty. If you don’t think you’re vulnerable, fragile, or frail; if you believe you’re out of the reach of disaster, danger, or threat; if accusation, admonishment, and condemnation are of no concern to you, then you’re clinging to a dangerous sense of false security. And whether the reason is ignorance, naivety, or denial, it’s not how things really are. We can hedge ourselves with comprehensive measures of security; we can build a bank account, buy insurance of every sort, drive safely, eat healthily, exercise regularly, but life can be ended or radically changed in a moment.

Still, the Lenten journey is not meant to be one of drudgery or monotony. It’s not a journey of shame, and doubt, and despair. But it is healthy if it is a candid one. One in which the door under the stairs is opened enough to glimpse the skeletons in the closet. After all, what’s the use in just going through the motions and putting on appearances. Lent is not a time to showcase our piety at the expense of others. The Pharisees would likely have seized on the season of Lent as an opportunity to publicize their righteousness. But the self-righteous aren’t looking for a cross, they’re looking for a throne. They want a crown. They don’t need a Saviour.

Candid recognition of frailty, does not lead to despair, however. If you feel like you have no defence or protection; if you believe you’re alone and without support; if you’re unduly anxious or paranoid that everyone is out to get you, then maybe you haven’t taken to heart the promises of the Saviour. The Scriptures make no small issue of the fact that the love of God is not some generic platitude that vaguely pertains to the human race. You are not an anonymous figure among the masses. The God who created you went to great pains to redeem you. Jesus preached to the masses; but He healed individuals. The Scripture says, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”4

Dear friends, if Jesus had not worn the crown of thorns, none of us could wear the crown of life. If He had not hung from the cross, we could not stand in God’s presence. If He had not been smothered by evil, we could not breathe God’s truth. If He had not endured the darkness, we would not enjoy the kingdom of light. But He did all these things. He rose from death. He ascended on high. He intercedes for the saints.

The Holy Trinity is the only reliable person in your life. Not because others don’t wish to support you. You may be blessed with those who are quite devoted and perseverant. But they are not immortal. They are not omnipotent. Only Christ has the capacity to carry sinners over the threshold of death. Only Jesus is completely unfaltering, completely reliable. As the Psalmist says, “Though my father and mother forsake me. The Lord will receive me.”5

Dear friends, you are no more holy if you give up something for lent, and no less holy if you don’t. It can be a time for spiritual renewal if properly used. But believe this: You are His baptized and you are holy because Jesus Christ was handed over for crucifixion as a substitute for you. He bled. He was tortured. He was forsaken by the heavenly Father. All so a blessed exchange could take place. You receive His righteousness. He bears your transgressions. You are one of His saints. In Lent, all lost ground can be made up. It doesn’t matter how you started. All that matters is that you finish. “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.”6 Christ brings you to the finish. In His hands, ashes become the material of immortality. Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

Ash Wednesday
14 February 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 2 Corinthians 6:2
2 Genesis 3:19
3 Job 30:19
4 Isaiah 49:15
5 Psalm 47:10
6 2 Corinthians 6:2