Ash Wednesday, Yr A (2023) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield

Ash Wednesday, Yr A (2023)                                                The Rev. Karen C. Barfield

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17                                                                         St. Andrew’s on-the-Hill

Psalm 103:8-14

2 Cor 5:20b-6:10

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

In the name of the one, holy, and living God:

            Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifying Spirit.  Amen.

Today is Ash Wednesday:

            the day we remember that we are dust…

                                                                               and breath.

“Remember that you are dust

            and to dust you shall return.”

With these words our foreheads are dusted with ash…

            dusted with ash in the shape of a cross.

Oftentimes that cross appears as a smudge on the outside,

            but we carry with us the indelible imprint of the cross

on our interior world

       and hopefully also reflect that cross through our daily actions.

We begin our lives as dust,

            and we end our lives as dust.

During the Season of Lent, most often our focus is on our very dustiness:

our brokenness, our sinfulness, our vulnerability, and our corruption. 

       And, unfortunately, we often tend to wallow in it.

But, if you recall in the story of creation…life is breathed into the dust.

God’s ruah,

God’s Spirit,

is breathed into the dust.

In Genesis we hear: “God formed Man out of dirt from the ground,

and blew into his nostrils the breath of life;

The Man came alive – a living soul.” (Gen 2:7 from The Message)

So today and throughout Lent,

            as much as we acknowledge our dustiness,

                        we also celebrate our Life!

The apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth:

“We entreat you on behalf of Christ,

        be reconciled to God.”

In other words:

Return to God who formed you out of the dust and breathed life into you!

Evelyn Underhill said that the goal of our life as Christians is union with God.

Reconciliation and union:

            these are our tasks.

We have been created to live life abundant in union with God,

            yet if we don’t pay attention,

      we can find ourselves losing our connection with the very God who gives us life.

The season of Lent offers us a time to stop

            and take a fresh look at what prevents us from union with God.

Perhaps our lives have gotten so busy with the “to do” list of an over-filled calendar

that we have forgotten to set aside time to listen to the voice of God.

So, maybe this Lent you decide to set aside time each day to read a piece of Scripture

and meditate on God’s word.

Or maybe you choose to read one of Joyce Rupp’s daily meditations

and reflect how we and Jesus walk together in our suffering

and the suffering of the world.

Perhaps we create some time of silence each day to simply sit in God’s presence.

Or maybe we choose to fast from all the “noise” of electronic devices:

            not looking at our computers or phones once evening arrives.

Perhaps we have been enveloped in pain and suffering

and are all too aware of our own sinfulness and the brokenness of our lives

      such that our focus during Lent could be something which brings us joy.

Perhaps we intentionally seek out an activity through which we experience the joyful and creative life-giving presence of God: painting, singing, gardening, cooking, taking a walk in the woods.

Oftentimes during Lent I turn off the radio in my car,

            roll down my window,

                        and listen to the birds chirping

                                    smelling the freshly mown grass,

      becoming more aware of the beauty and magnificence of God’s creation.

It is amazing what we can see and hear when we create times of silence.

The voice of God just might become a little more audible!

What might happen if we shifted the orientation of our intercessory prayer to that which was prayed by Mary in the Magnificat:

thanking God for already fulfilling our deepest desires…

    praying as if God has already restored what is broken or alienated in our lives

and in the world.

How might that re-orient our relationships with God, others, and self?

We are dust

            and we are breath,

                        seeking union with God.

In the words of today’s psalmist:

1  Bless the Holy One, O my soul, *
and all that is within me, bless God’s holy Name.

2  Bless the Holy One, O my soul, * and forget not all the gifts of God.

3  O God, you forgive all our sins * and you heal all our infirmities;

4  You redeem our life from the grave *
and crown us with mercy and loving-kindness.   

 (Ps 103:1-4 from the St. Helena Psalter)

My friends, I pray for us all a most blessed and holy Lent.

I am honored to travel the journey alongside you

             in the midst of death and life,

      dust and breath…

                      trusting in God’s mercy,

faithfulness,

and loving kindness.  Amen.