Due to weather we are not having Ash Wednesday worship. We will be offering ashes at the service on Sunday. In the meantime, if you would like something to reflect on here are the thoughts that Pastor Emily was preparing to preach (you will notice they are not in final form, please forgive the roughness of the draft)
Readings
Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 51:1-17
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
There’s a fun Latin saying: lex orandi, lex credendi which translated is the law of prayer is the law of belief or more commonly the rule of prayer is the rule of belief, this saying is used to point to the reality that often times how we pray shapes what we believe, a third lex can also be added to the saying lex vivendi or the rule of what is lived, in essence how we pray influences what we believe, which influences how we live. Now you can argue about the order of things but what is undeniable is that all three are interconnected, our prayer practices, our belief, and how we live our lives. Now it is also true that sometimes these get out of balance, sometimes we place too much emphasis on prayer without letting it influence our belief and our lives, sometimes we think too much and pray and live too little, other times we jump into action without considering what we believe or taking time to pray. Each of our readings for tonight speaks to a different scenario where these three have gotten out of balance.
In our reading from Isaiah the prophet is sent to declare a word of judgment to people who place too much emphasis on prayer or worship without considering their belief or how they live their lives. We hear how the people have started to treat God like a cosmic vending machine, expecting that if they put the right prayers or rituals in what they want will come out, and when they’re prayers aren’t answered in a timely and accurate manner the people begin to question God: “Who do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” wait a minute God says “Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist.” The people might be praying all the time, but they have neglected paying attention to the commands of God, commands which when lived out lead to harmony among people, creation and God. Which is why God continues:
“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and the break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly;…Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer…then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” If they spent as much time on practicing righteousness with the gift that God has already given them then they wouldn’t be in the pickle that they’re in. too much prayer not enough belief and life.
The psalmist seems to have the opposite problem, they have focused too much on life apart from the teachings of God and prayer and it has led them astray, now the consequences of their actions have come home to roost and the psalmist has been made aware of how they have gone astray, how they have sinned against God, now out of the belief in the mercy of God they are returning to God in prayer and asking for forgiveness.
The Corinthians it seems have focused too much on belief and not enough on prayer or life. We hear Paul urge them not to accept the grace of God in vain as if they have heard him expound on the belief in the gift of God’s grace, that God has done the work of reconciliation in Christ and offered it as a free gift- and thought oh good, we don’t have to do anything, or even we can just keep doing what we’ve been doing and God’s got it covered. To which Paul cautions them that there is the expectation that this free gift transforms their lives, so that in Christ they might live out the righteousness of God. Look Paul tells them, we’ve put a lot on the line to bring you this message, don’t mess it up now.
Finally, in Matthew, it is the intention behind everything that has gotten out of balance. Jesus describes people who are living and even praying for the sake of what other people will say or think about them, as if faith were some kind of performance art as opposed to genuinely seeking a relationship with God and a life aligned with God’s values and you will reap what you sow. If you’re doing all this for the sake of the regard of others, then that’s what you get, but if you are doing it for the sake of getting closer to the heart of God then your treasure will be there.
It's so easy to get out of balance, that is why we have set aside in the church year the season of Lent as a time to contemplate our lives and work on bringing our prayer, belief, and lives back into balance, and we start off with Ash Wednesday, to put everything into perspective. Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. We are finite, created out of the dust of the earth by God. With that in mind what are our priorities? Where have we gotten out of balance? Let us take the next 40 days to return to the Lord and the balance of prayer, belief, and life. Amen
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