When I was in college, I attended University of the South at Sewanee all but one semester. That one semester, I went to the University of SC – the other USC as far as Bishop Little is concerned. This was an interesting experience for me and I came away with an appreciation for the intensity of the education at Sewanee. We had class six days a week. We worked really hard, and I grew a great deal while I was there. Now by growth, I am talking academic, personal and spiritual. In the interests of full disclosure (or confession maybe) I will also say that we played pretty hard as well.
At USC, I was struck by the fact that the difference between work and play seemed a little more fuzzy. It was as if my classmates never seemed to really crack down and study. They did not have the same appreciation for the down time either. It struck me at the time that maybe you could not have one without the other.
As Episcopalians we understand that the faith journey is cyclical and periodic. That is the way the calendar is set up. There are times for feasting and times for fasting. I am here to tell you I don’t think you can have one without the other. There are times for the warm and fuzzy homily that makes you feel good. There are also times for the reading we heard from Joel.
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 garments.
How have we turned from God? I can’t answer this one for you, but the Litany of Penitence we will use later in the service today is a good start. Using St. Augustine’s Examination of Conscience and preparing yourselves for a confession is a great way as well.
In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, they have what they call “clean Monday” as the first day of their “Great Lent.” This is a day to clean our spiritual houses, and I like this idea. Things can get cluttered. It is a time to get back to basics and take out the trash.
So just what are these basics we are supposed to get back to? I tell my confirmation classes on the first day that the spiritual life has three parts. First there is corporate worship. We get to church and we pray together. We function as the Body of Christ in the work we do. I commend you for being here today as part of your commitment to your spiritual life and your commitment to your brother and sister.
Second there is private prayer and meditation. This is the personal relationship with God. We pray and read Scripture. We listen for the ways God is calling us. If we are not in relationship with Jesus, we are not going to recognize His voice. We have to read the Bible and reflect on what it is saying to us. God has laid it out there for us, and we have to take the responsibility for our own personal growth.
Finally there are acts of charity – good works. It is not enough to be a good person. We have to work for justice and peace. We have to take care of our brothers and sisters.
In this morning’s Daily Office, the lectionary gave us this reading from Hebrews 12.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
We have to stay on task and remember the goal. We need to look to Jesus, and we can’t get sidetracked.
Now as Christians, we are called to grow in the faith. We have ways to do that: corporate worship, private prayer and meditation and acts of charity – good works. I am going to challenge you to think about your own spiritual journey and think of where you want to be. We are looking to Jesus. We are preparing ourselves for celebration of the Resurrection.
How have we grown and how do we need to grow? How do we live as faithful witnesses to Christ’s power to redeem and bless?
We have to keep our lives in balance, and I am going to use the image of the three-legged stool. Lent is the season in the Church year when we examine our lives and get things back in balance. Those legs of the stool that have to be of the same length or it does not work very well. The person who is in church every time the doors are open is building up the Body of Christ but may need to work on the private prayer and meditation. If you are good with the contemplative prayer, but are a private person and do not do much outreach by nature, this is the time to work some in.
I have told you that you can’t really feast if you don’t fast too. As we grow there are desert places and times when we are in a better place. It is not just the Church year that has seasons. Our lives do as well. I have one last observation for you about fasting.
I had a Muslim student who would spend lunchtime during Ramadan in my classroom listening to broadcasts of sermons. We talked about fasting, and he had an interesting observation to make that has stuck with me. He said that in a proper fast, our ears fast from gossip and our tongues fast from unkind words.
Nazim was a devout and thoughtful young man when I knew him. I suspect he is still. This Christian had some things to learn about the practice of his faith from Nazim. I think you do as well.
Today’s Gospel reading is not about “if” we fast. It is about when. A season of fasting has begun. The time is now. We have to be in right relationship with the Church, with God and with the world.
I have said these words in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sermon preached by Fr. Tom at St. Thomas, Plymouth
February 18, 2015/Ash Wednesday
Joel 2:1-2,12-17
Psalm 103: 8-14
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6,16-21