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Ash Wednesday
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Ash Wednesday
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A Sermon by
The Rev. Canon Carl Turner
✛
Lenten Road Map
The 20th century radio speaker and author, Earl Nightingale, is reputed to have once said “All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” Last Sunday, Father Daniels commented on the journey taken by God’s chosen people from Egypt to the Promised Land. That journey, of course, we will hear this Lent as we approach Holy Week, and the significance of the ritual acts commemorating it year after year, principally the Passover, and its place in our own salvation history as a Christian community.
Fr Daniels reminded us that the journey to the Promised Land was hard and that some of God’s greatest followers, and most importantly, his servant Moses, never got there – instead, glimpsing it from afar. He reminded us that the journey that Joshua took to lead the tribes was echoed many years later by the same journey taken by Elijah and Elisha – the prophets of the Lord. He reminded us of the parting of the waters that happened at the Red Sea, and twice at the Jordan. All these parallels – the same plan, the same road map, and the courage to press on to the destination – point to the great road map that God had for his chosen people; his plan was redemption and the destination life in all its fullness.
Sometimes, though, we lose sight of where we are going and need to be reminded once again. This, my friends, is the purpose of Lent and what we are doing today is to stop and take stock of where we have been and where we are going; to re-orientate ourselves towards the Promised Land rather than the rocky and stony places that we often inhabit.
In a sermon given on Ash Wednesday a couple of year ago, our Bishop Andy reminded his hearers that having the right map is important to prevent us from going round and round in circles. He said, “When I come back to Ash Wednesday, year after year, I find that I am confessing the same old wrongs, and I worry that I may lose my own way, wander on a map I don’t understand, repeat my own steps, unable to see the end of the road.” [1] That may be the case for you and for me, if we are honest.How often do we examine our consciences only to find the same besetting sins or patterns of behavior? How often do we go to confession and struggle with the fact that we are sharing with the priest the very same sins that we shared last month or last year; it’s almost an embarrassment – maybe I should have some new sin or something more dramatic to share! The fact is, that many of us do go round in circles, wandering on a map we do not understand. That is why going to confession is so helpful, because it allows us the opportunity to look at that map and begin the process of understanding it.
On Sunday, we shall hear how Jesus went into the desert – echoing the same journey of God’s chosen people. Going into the desert can be frightening, but silence and solitude can sometimes wake us out of apathy and help us discover who we really are. Jesus did not stay in the desert but going into the deserted place allowed him to reflect on his own road map and to orientate himself to the Father’s love for him and for all humankind.
We are called today, to think about where we are going. We are called to follow the Lord on his journey to the Promised Land which, of course, was a journey that took him first to the cross. To get to the Promised Land we also must walk the way of the cross in order to share the joy of the Resurrection. We need to walk the same path that Jesus walked. That is why we receive ash on our forehead today – a sign not only of our penitence, but also of our mortality. We have been promised eternal; life, but it came at a cost and we reflect on that cost during our Lenten journey together.
The Promised Land is ours, my friends – a place where there is no death or suffering – but a place where we can feel the reality of God’s forgiveness: As the psalmist puts it, “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thy sin, and healeth all thine infirmities; Who saveth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with mercy and loving-kindness.” (Psalm 103)
That is why Lent is described as a joyful season. To the world outside, that will seem like a contradiction – but the way of the cross and the day of resurrection are also contradictions – God set before us his plan, his road mapin order to reach our true destination which is found in his forgiving and redeeming love.
_______________
[1] Sermon preached at Trinity Wall Street, Ash Wednesday, 2016
