Love and Ashes - A Sermon for Ash Wednesday & St. Valentine’s Day February 14 2024
GOSPEL: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
The holy gospel according to Matthew.
Glory to you, O Lord.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commends almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, but emphasizes that spiritual devotion must not be done for show.
[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1“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. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so 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. 6But 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.
16“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
The husband bought his wife a box of chocolates
for Valentine’s Day,
and handed her the box:
“Here you go, dear.”
The wife said,
“Why don’t you tell me you love me anymore?”
The husband said,
“Well, I told you before that I love you,
and if anything changes,
I’ll let you know.”
Today is both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day.
This wont happen again until 2029.
Valentine’s day celebrations today
don’t exactly resemble the liturgical commemoration
of St. Valentine’s martyrdom in the third century.
As the meme says;
Roses are red, violets are blue,
I was beaten with clubs and beheaded
and you celebrate my martyrdom
by sending each other chocolates.
I can remember a couple of my first Valentine’s Days
with Juanita, my wife,
before we were married.
For our second Valentine’s Day as a couple,
I bought her this cuddly stuffed dog holding a heart
that says “I wuf you”
I remember giving her the stuffed toy,
thinking I was sweet
and kind
and thoughtful….
and she then gave me my present …
That’s right. It was the exact same bear.
We kinda sorta stopped celebrating Valentine’s Day anymore.
That was it, enough is enough.
No more of this Hallmark holiday.
I don’t need to buy flowers
and chocolates
and stuffed bears
and stuff to show my love.
All that kind of stuff is fleeting.
Or is it?
Shifting gears,
Have you heard of Ashes to Go?
It is a newer Ash Wednesday practice.
Some clergy will bring the imposition of ashes
into the public sphere,
at train stations or busy street corners.
I participated in Ashes to Go
with a colleague in Spruce Grove a few years ago,
and it was awkward.
We stood outside the Tri-liesure centre;
a large and popular recreation facility.
We wore our vestments
and stood outside by the parking lot
and made ourselves available
for a brief rite for the imposition of ashes.
The staff weren’t sure what to do with us,
but they didn’t send us away.
As we stood with our sign and ashes and vestments,
not many people wanted the imposition of ashes that day.
By my count, of the hundreds who walked by,
only 5 people accepted the ashes.
One person thought we were just asking for money.
We even had one of my congregation members come by
and refuse the ashes.
That was weird.
Except that it wasn’t.
We’re talking about death here, folks.
No one wants to talk about death.
Maybe pastors and funeral directors,
but otherwise no one wants to talk about death.
The term for this service is perfect:
The Imposition of Ashes
because, these ashes are an imposition.
Death is an imposition on life.
Death is incredibly annoying,
Death gets in the way of life.
Death is imposed on you,
it is burdensome.
It’s an imposition on us to receive ashes.
Yet like a box of chocolates or a stuffed bear,
these ashes are also a gift of love
Dust is a gift.
For those who are suffering,
for those who are overworked,
under-prepared,
for those who can’t keep up,
It can be good news to hear you are dust,
and to take a breath and remember
I don’t need to be more than dust.
I’d like to show you a video
from a theologian that I admire, Sara Miles.
Here are some of her thoughts on Ashes to Go…
You can access the video here:
http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/you-are-dust
Ash Wednesday is about truth.
Sara Miles says; “We are not immortal.
We are not in charge of our lives.
That ought to be a relief;
a sweet relief.
I’m not in charge.
God’s in charge.
That’s good news.”
For those of us who like to be in control,
it might seem like a terrible idea
to let go and let God,
but when it comes the realities of life and the Divine;
freedom only comes with surrender.
The truth brings about good news
and we tell the truth here,
at least we seek to.
Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.
Here’s a truth: love is a verb.
Love can be an emotion,
but love is an action word.
I’m coming around on Valentines Day.
This is the one day a year
that we can tell people “I love you”
We can tell our spouse,
our children,
our family,
friends,
neighbours.
For years I saw Valentine’s Day as a Hallmark holiday,
another cash grab,
to spend money on stuff we don’t need.
Frankly, I still reject the cash grab.
I don’t need another stuffed animal,
nor another box of chocolates,
although I’ll sure enjoy the chocolates.
What I do need is love.
It’s like Jesus’ words on practicing your piety in secret,
I don’t need to see a big public display
of how much money you’ve spent on your spouse.
Yet Jesus calls us into piety,
Jesus calls us into acts of love done in secret.
We all need love.
What you need is love.
We all want and need love.
I’m not talking about sharing the fleeting stuff,
because, frankly, much of life is fleeting.
Chocolates and teddy bears,
the shrove pancakes,
the gadgets,
the search for control,
even you yourself.
You are dust.
You are fleeting.
We are fleeting,
the grass withers and the flowers fade,
but not Love.
Love never ends.
Jesus teaches us:
there is no greater love than this;
than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
This is what Jesus has done,
laid down his life for us, for all.
And more than a folded piece of paper,
The ashes we receive are a gift of God’s love.
You will die.
Death is terrible.
Death is an imposition on life.
Your death is certain.
But your death is in God’s hands.
If we live, we live to the Lord.
If we die, we die to the Lord.
So whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
That is not fleeting.
That is the truth.
That is love.
Jesus, our Good Shepherd,
has laid down his life for us -
the ones Jesus calls friends.
That is not fleeting.
That is the truth.
So tonight,
come and receive ashes.
Receive this bizarre sign
of God’s incredible love for you.
The cross of Ashes on your forehead
is like the cross you receive at your baptism.
We are baptized in Christ Jesus,
we are baptized in his death,
Therefore we have been buried with him
by baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his,
we will certainly be united with him
in a resurrection like his.
Now this is love.
God’s unmeasurable, never-fleeting love for you.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
