Ash Wednesday Homily

Last night our Ash Wednesday Worship Service was shared with our sister congregations Coolwater Christian Church and Foothills Christian Church. We gathered together at Coolwater (who did such an excellent job hosting!) and Rev. Katie Sexton, Rev. Bekah Krevens and I co-officiated the service. It was a lovely way to begin our Lenten journey, and a beautiful sign of the powerful things that we can do when we work together.

Below are a copy of my remarks from last night. 

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Ash Wednesday comes crazy early this year.

The last time Ash Wednesday came anywhere near this early I was surprised by a theological question from one of my Cajun kinfolk.

Now you might not know it to look at me, or by the sound of my voice (I've worked to lose that accent) but eight generations of my family have called the backwoods and bayous of southwest Louisiana home for ages. I'm part Cajun, ya'll. 

And let me tell you, I'm just as surprised as any of my Cajun kinfolk that a protestant preacher has emerged from that heavily Catholic family tree. We learned early on not to talk about religion...

Which made it so surprising when my Cajun cousin pulled me aside and said, “I’ve got a theological question for ya.” 

“Okay,” I responded, with trepidation.

“Easter comes really early this year.”

“Yep.”

“Which means Lent comes really early this year.”

“Yep.” So far so good. I had no problem fielding those questions.

“Which means that this year Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday happen before Valentine’s Day.”

“Yeah, that is true,” I said.

Having set the stage, my Cajun kinfolk finally says, “So my theological question for you is this: Does white chocolate count as chocolate? I’m only asking because my sweetheart gives up chocolate every year for Lent and I’ve gotta know what to get for a Valentine’s Day present.”

Lent comes early this year. Breaking into our lives with all of its particular expectations and funny questions. What is Lent? Why do we do it? What am I supposed to do with myself for these next forty days that are actually longer than forty days?

Lets take those questions in reverse order, shall we.

What am I supposed to do with myself?

Well, this one is easy: Spiritual Spring Cleaning.

That is what Lent is all about: Spiritual Spring Cleaning. It is a time of genuine introspection. An opportunity to look deep into the corners and crevices of our souls and find all of the clutter and cobwebs that need to be cleared out. It is a chance for us give up all of those things that we know we shouldn't have been doing in the first place and take up all of those good things that we know we should be doing but haven't. 

Why do we do it?

Our scripture reading from the prophet Joel is helpful here. "Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful..."

Why do we do it? Because we trust in the Lord. Because we put our faith in a God who is gracious and merciful, who is forgiving and doesn't give up on us, who continues to call us and call out the very best in us. 

So, what is Lent?

Lent is a 40-day journey where we follow Christ. We follow him all the way to Jerusalem; all the way to the cross; and eventually all the way to Easter Sunday. Lent leads us to the brink of resurrection of new life! And what better Easter present could there be than lives made new by this Lenten journey. Lent is that time where we put down our vices and take up our virtues. Lent is that time where we grow in the faith by nurturing our spirits. Lent is a time of renewal and transformation.

Yes, Lent comes crazy early this year, but maybe, just maybe it comes right when we need it the most.

...oh, and technically white chocolate isn’t chocolate. I told my theologically interested Cajun kinfolk that white chocolate is only cocoa butter without any of the cocoa bean solids. So it isn’t chocolate so much as an ingredient in chocolate. Then again, if you are giving up chocolate for Lent then it probably goes against the spirit of the thing to gorge yourself white chocolate. My suggestion for a post-Ash Wednesday Valentine’s present: Fresh flowers. You can't go wrong with a present that so beautifully signifies the gits of new life.