St. Thomas’s Episcopal Parish

Newark, DE

 The First Day of Lent: Ash Wednesday – February 22, 2012/Year B

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 103; 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

The Reverend Paul W. Gennett, Jr.

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May my words reveal the greater glory of God.

AMEN

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The prophet Joel calls “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God …” Matthew the Evangelist calls “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth … but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” We gather, yet again, on this First Day of Lent, Ash Wednesday.

We gather to hear all the riveting, engaging, and exciting Lenten opportunities as will be described in the opening of the Ash Wednesday liturgy in our Prayer Book – “ … by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” Oh boy, I cannot wait! We may think we come to this day pretty much as we did last year … but   we really do not. We all have had moments in life’s journey this past year that capture our attention, that bring us to pause, that catch us short of what we expect life to be, to do. Some of those events have been taxing and deeply troubling … some have been painful and separating us from one another … some have caused the dissection of something from our life, only to experience the birthing of something new. ALL these changes and chances come along this journey of life. Life as a gift of God and rarely will it fulfill our expectations.

In the spiritual life, the true invitation of God into our holy Lent is simply yet profoundly a matter for our heart.

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In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus concludes his teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” These words were preceded by Jesus warning the disciples against false piety and self-righteousness, people doing the right things but for the wrong reasons.

The tradition of  almsgiving, fasting, and prayer in preparation for the Passover celebration were meant to be life-giving to the person in their relationship with God,  not for grandiose public demonstrations. These spiritual practices were for the sake of God’s gift of love to all people. Living out these gifts with others and in right relationship to God, kept the person humble and thankful … kept them right-sized before God as another way of looking at the spiritual life and disciplines. It kept the gift of God’s grace as a matter for our heart, not in the self-created spotlight of talking the talk but not walking the walk.

Lent is all about doing what is right for God’s sake, not our own notoriety and ecclesiastical renown. This is true for ALL faithful people, lay or ordained. A wise priest once reminded me that working for Jesus was all about downward mobility. Sometimes we of the collared clan forget who we are, whose we are, and for whom we ultimately work.

Lent invites us to a time of inward inspection, reflection, and penitence. This process involves our mind, our thinking Lent. Yet as our heart beats the rhythm to give life to our bodies each day, we are called to the outward movement of change and using our gifts to glorify God’s grace to our life. A matter for our heart and a thankful Lent.

Lent is God’s invitation for change, renewal, and transfiguration. This can challenge us to our very core, for change means leaving those places of familiarity, comfort, and security. It means shedding those things of our heart that grieves God and hurts others, such as not forgiving and being judgmental of others not like us.

Lent calls us to renewal of life, which only comes through the head and heart work of prayer, study of God’s word of life regularly and openly, seeking to be different by living different. Lent can be hard work, but this foundation leads us to the heart of God in Jesus Christ that we experience on Good Friday and Easter Day. Experiencing Lent in this way leads us in the path of living each day in the holy space of God.

In the spiritual life, the true invitation of God into our holy Lent is simply yet profoundly a matter for our heart.

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I now invite you to do something with me BEFORE we hear those riveting, engaging, and exciting Lenten opportunities as described in our Prayer Book. It is very simple, yet I pray will become a very profound and regular practice for you this Lenten season.

I invite you to place your hand on your heart as you might when we say the Pledge of Allegiance. If you do not feel the beat of your heart right away, just move your hand around until you feel the rhythm. Now if you cannot find your heartbeat in a minute, we do have a defibulator in the Great Hall. Just be silent for this moment. Feel the beat, beat, beat, the constant pulse of life to us. Feel the truth that this beating is purely and simply God’s gift of life in us as this moment, this time. Our gift of God, taken often for granted … God’s gift of life in us at this moment, this time.

Throughout the forty days of Lent, I invite you to intentionally, at least one time each day, place your hand over your heart – although I suggest you might not do this in a public setting as might alarm others and you will have a not-so-lovely visit with the local EMT. When you do this, STOP for that moment … LOOK around you and within yourself to notice God’s presence to you, in you … LISTEN for the small, still voice of God who calls you into living, serving, and proclaiming God in Christ through your life. Feel this God-given gift as you are connected to the hearts of others in your life, the stranger passing by, the co-worker with an anxious look. Feel the heart’s desire of God and Christ Jesus for you … in you … with you, right now.

A fairly simple invitation for a profoundly deeper journey in Lent, the forty day journey into your heart and the heart of God in you. For the true invitation of God into our holy Lent is simply yet profoundly a matter for our heart.

AMEN