A Ash Wednesday BFC 2017

March 1, 2017

Henry Ward Beecher said, “A world without a Sabbath would be like a person without a smile, like a summer without flowers, and like a homestead without a garden.”

“Burn out” has become a regular part of our vernacular.  We used to just think of business executives who ran their companies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or parents who ran their children from place to place, put dinner on the table, and also had a full-time job.  But today, we are even being warned of our children suffering from “burn out.”  We are caught up in a culture that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Information inundates our every decision.  Many of us go through our days at or near total exhaustion.

          Sometimes we may feel like a boxer who picks themselves up off the canvas to foolishly say, “Surely I can’t take much more punishment.”  And then we see that boxing glove heading toward us in slow motion.

          So many of us are walking that thin line between the need to be invested and the need to pull away altogether.  I am concerned that slowing down, planning for rest is not considered an option.  To keep up and keep our priorities, we have to stretch ourselves so thin.

          Weariness (burnout) and the need for renewal were recognized in the early Christian church.  The observance of “Ember Days” was a practice to counter the weariness and renew the spirit.  Ember Days were seasonal times of rest and prayer both for the laborer in the field and ministers in the church.  Four times a year, days were set aside to encourage depleted helpers and healers to refuel.  Setting time aside, setting aside space, for God.  This is essentially the call of Lent which we will begin this evening with Ash Wednesday. 

What are the barriers in our life which keep us from making time or making space for God?  Today we fan the flames that are deep within our hearts.  We breathe deeply so that the flames may burn brightly.

          Ember Days may not appear on our modern liturgical calendars, but there are many ways we, all of us, as ministers in the church, can keep the fires burning underneath the ash of our hearts and souls.  Merrill Ware Carrigan offers four ideas.  Perhaps you can find yourself hungering for the renewal, rest, and refreshment through these ideas.

          First, take time for conversation with elders, mentors, heroes, soul friends.  In conversation or prayer, keep in touch with those who nourish you.

          Second, reconnect with the earth with attention and enjoyment.  Be conscious of the elements and the feel the sensuality of the earth—its beauty, its fragrance, its song, and its texture.  For example, brace into what’s left of the winter wind, feel and smell the early spring rain as it comes later in March, get your hands in the summer soil in April and May, and pay attention to the growth which comes in June, July, and August.

          Third, in a support group of colleagues or friends step aside from problem-solving for a time and enjoy the simple availability of each one to the others, and the sense of the divine presence.

          Fourth, take advantage of real silence that allows you to rest.  Savor stillness.

          Remember, throughout all of this Lenten season, we stoke the embers not only for our own well-being, but to regain the strength and capacity to warm the lives of those we touch.  The fire from such embers within our souls and hearts will give us the strength we need to be participants and leaders in our organizations, activities, schools, communities, and churches. 

          Set aside time—set aside space for God to move in our lives.  Amen.

Ashes and Oil

German scholar, Dorothee Soelle, believes that knowing we are all mystics, is the grounding for knowing we were also created in the image of God.  She writes, “The greatest sin of humans is to forget that we are royal children.  ‘Rabbi Bunam said to his disciples:  Everyone must have two pockets, so that [they] can reach into the one or the other, according to [their] needs.  In the right pocket are to be the words:  “For my sake was the world created,” and in [their] left:  “I am earth and ashes.”’” 

In the book of Genesis, there are two creation stories.  Each has a different view of what it means to be human.  One was told when the people were proud and mighty and conquerors.  That story said, “You were made out of the dust of the ground, and to the dust you shall return.”  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  For that reason we apply the ash.

The other was told to the people when they were broken and despairing and conquered—living in Exile.  That story said, “You were made in the image of God.”  For that reason we apply the oil, a sign of God’s blessing and messianic choice.

We need to tell and hear both stories, for we must always know our “humus”, our humility and connection to the earth and our “imago Dei”, our divinity and connection to God. 

So for those who wish to receive the ashes and oil, I will say to you, “From ashes and dust you were made—to ashes and dust you shall return.”  I invite you to respond with “I was made in the image of God.”

Please come forward at this time.

Benediction

Know that God begins a fire in you that burns but does not consume.  Fan the flames.  Amen.