1
00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,420
In the name of one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2
00:00:04,420 --> 00:00:05,260
Amen.

3
00:00:13,340 --> 00:00:15,660
The first words out of Jesus' mouth

4
00:00:15,660 --> 00:00:18,420
in tonight's gospel lesson are,

5
00:00:18,420 --> 00:00:22,060
beware of practicing your piety before others.

6
00:00:22,060 --> 00:00:23,900
And in just a few minutes, I'm gonna paint,

7
00:00:23,900 --> 00:00:27,980
or Emily's gonna paint a big black cross on your forehead.

8
00:00:27,980 --> 00:00:29,540
When you walk out of church tonight,

9
00:00:29,540 --> 00:00:31,940
you'll be broadcasting to everyone you encounter.

10
00:00:31,940 --> 00:00:33,080
It's a little easier for y'all,

11
00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:34,260
because it's six o'clock,

12
00:00:34,260 --> 00:00:36,300
but you'll be telling everyone you're a Christian

13
00:00:36,300 --> 00:00:38,180
and that you went to church.

14
00:00:38,180 --> 00:00:42,000
Beware of practicing your piety before others.

15
00:00:42,900 --> 00:00:44,580
Well, Jesus technically doesn't say,

16
00:00:44,580 --> 00:00:47,580
don't practice your piety before others.

17
00:00:47,580 --> 00:00:49,020
He simply, she's a warning.

18
00:00:49,020 --> 00:00:51,220
He says, beware.

19
00:00:51,220 --> 00:00:52,620
And now I think this is really important

20
00:00:52,620 --> 00:00:57,620
for us to consider as we enter this season of Lent,

21
00:00:57,620 --> 00:01:00,480
a time when we recommit to God,

22
00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,520
recommit to those spiritual disciplines

23
00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,760
that draw us closer to God.

24
00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,560
So that being said, before you choose a Lenten discipline,

25
00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:11,500
or before you continue to follow through with it,

26
00:01:11,500 --> 00:01:14,280
I encourage you to ask yourself, why?

27
00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:16,760
Why am I doing this?

28
00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,740
Am I doing this to feed my ego?

29
00:01:19,740 --> 00:01:22,680
Or am I doing this so that I might decrease

30
00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:25,780
and that God might increase in me?

31
00:01:25,780 --> 00:01:29,160
Is this Lenten discipline about accomplishing something

32
00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,120
that I can check off a list?

33
00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,040
Or is it about living into the truth

34
00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:34,600
that God has accomplished everything

35
00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:36,600
that needs to be accomplishing,

36
00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,520
that needs to be accomplished through Jesus?

37
00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,880
Are you trying to prove how good you are?

38
00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,880
Or is this about remembering how good God is?

39
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,560
This past Sunday at our Episcopal 101 class,

40
00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,000
we talked about a core belief among Anglicans

41
00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:54,560
or Episcopalians.

42
00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:56,760
I'm not gonna bore you with the Latin phrase,

43
00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,260
but it basically says, we are what we pray.

44
00:02:01,260 --> 00:02:02,520
We are what we pray.

45
00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,320
Praying shapes believing.

46
00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:06,760
Our prayer shape what we believe,

47
00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,540
and what we believe shapes how we behave.

48
00:02:10,540 --> 00:02:12,520
So if our prayers don't seem to be leading us

49
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:14,960
to a transformation of self,

50
00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,520
then we might be seeking our own glory

51
00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,340
as opposed to the glory of God.

52
00:02:20,340 --> 00:02:22,640
Now, I don't deny that our prayers can

53
00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:25,340
and do influence God.

54
00:02:25,340 --> 00:02:27,800
I believe our prayers are much more likely

55
00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,240
to influence us and those around us.

56
00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,080
Prayer isn't really about getting God

57
00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,200
to conform to our will to do what we want.

58
00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:37,680
Rather, prayer is meant to help us

59
00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,840
conform to God's will and God's dream.

60
00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,360
As Jesus said in the garden before his death,

61
00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:46,260
not my will be done, but yours.

62
00:02:46,260 --> 00:02:48,700
On Ash Wednesday, we are invited to notice

63
00:02:48,700 --> 00:02:52,200
the gap that exists between the human will

64
00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,440
and God's will or the divine will.

65
00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,980
That's not to say the human will cannot

66
00:02:57,980 --> 00:03:00,840
be influenced by the divine will.

67
00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:02,360
Rather, left to our own devices,

68
00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,680
the human will seeks to save the self,

69
00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,160
whereas God's will seeks to save the other,

70
00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,320
regardless of the cost.

71
00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:12,880
In just a few minutes when we read

72
00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:16,440
the litany of penitence, we might come to realize

73
00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,560
that the gap that exists between the human will

74
00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:23,040
and God's will is actually wider than we thought.

75
00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,920
One response is to feel more guilty than we already do,

76
00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:29,280
but God doesn't want us to feel more guilty.

77
00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,160
Even more, God didn't really even come

78
00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:33,240
to make us feel less guilty.

79
00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,640
I think God wants us to think less about ourselves

80
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:38,600
and our own needs and more about

81
00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:40,440
the needs and concerns of others.

82
00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,640
And if we live for the needs and concerns of others,

83
00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:45,680
then what do we have to feel guilty about?

84
00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:48,400
Through Christ, God is calling us

85
00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,240
to live a life of humility.

86
00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,280
And C.S. Lewis gives the best definition I found of humility.

87
00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,480
Humility isn't about thinking less of yourself,

88
00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,120
it's about thinking of yourself less.

89
00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,280
It's not about thinking less of yourself,

90
00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,160
it's about thinking less of yourself less.

91
00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:07,800
Now before we start to think about all those people

92
00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,000
who aren't so humble, let me remind you

93
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,920
that it's hard for someone to think

94
00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:13,840
about the needs of others

95
00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:15,880
if they don't believe their own needs are met.

96
00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:18,600
So after we make sure we have food and clothing

97
00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,800
and shelter and safety, what do we really need?

98
00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,680
What do we really need in this life?

99
00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,880
I think we need to know we're not alone.

100
00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,160
I think we need to know that we are seen and valued.

101
00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,000
I think we need to know we are loved.

102
00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:33,560
If we believe we are alone,

103
00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:34,920
if we believe we aren't needed,

104
00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:37,120
if we believe we're unlovable,

105
00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,800
then how can we ever believe that God or God's people

106
00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:42,960
wanna have a relationship with us?

107
00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:45,280
A relationship where we are seen and valued,

108
00:04:45,280 --> 00:04:48,000
a relationship where we are loved without condition.

109
00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:51,240
And that is the relationship that God is calling us into

110
00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,760
each and every day, but especially on this Ash Wednesday.

111
00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,400
That Ashen Cross that you will bear today

112
00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,920
is less about your righteousness

113
00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,720
and more about God's righteousness.

114
00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,360
Ultimately that cross points to Jesus.

115
00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,040
The cross points to a savior who has taken on a commitment

116
00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:12,000
to love the whole world,

117
00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,520
which in the end he gives his all for,

118
00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,520
his own death on the hardwood of the cross.

119
00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,400
The Ashen Cross is a reminder that there is nowhere

120
00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:22,920
that Jesus won't go to find you

121
00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,040
and call you back to himself no matter the cost.

122
00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:27,920
There is no heart that is so hard

123
00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,000
that can't be softened by his unconditional love.

124
00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:32,280
There is no one in this world

125
00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:35,320
that Jesus doesn't wanna have a relationship with.

126
00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:36,600
You are not alone.

127
00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:37,440
You are valued.

128
00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:38,560
You are seen.

129
00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,080
You are loved.

130
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:44,120
Jesus died on the cross to show you this truth.

131
00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:46,840
So now the big question wonders,

132
00:05:46,840 --> 00:05:49,280
in light of today's gospel lesson,

133
00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,640
will you wear that Ashen Cross when you leave church today?

134
00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:55,920
Like a good Episcopal preacher,

135
00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,040
I'm not gonna give you an answer.

136
00:05:58,040 --> 00:05:59,680
I'll offer some questions though,

137
00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,600
the same sort of questions I asked in the beginning.

138
00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,080
Will wearing this cross do nothing more

139
00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:07,840
than inflate your ego?

140
00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:09,880
Or will this Ashen Cross help you think

141
00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,120
of yourself less and of God more?

142
00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:14,520
Is this cross meant to show others

143
00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:16,800
that you accomplished going to church today?

144
00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,160
Or is it meant to remind you and others

145
00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,000
of what God has accomplished in Jesus?

146
00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:24,500
Are you trying to prove how good you are

147
00:06:24,500 --> 00:06:26,800
or do you bear this cross to remind others

148
00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,400
how good God is?

149
00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:30,480
At the end of the day,

150
00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,420
it's about what's on the inside that really matters.

151
00:06:33,420 --> 00:06:36,240
Jesus says at the end of today's lesson,

152
00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:40,360
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

153
00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:45,360
If what you take on or what you give up, this Lent,

154
00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,240
encourages a loving and life-giving relationship

155
00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:49,840
with God and others,

156
00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:52,540
then I believe your heart is in the right place.

157
00:06:52,540 --> 00:06:56,280
If what you take on, this Lent, or give up, this Lent,

158
00:06:56,280 --> 00:06:58,180
sort of gets in the way of a loving

159
00:06:58,180 --> 00:07:00,440
and life-giving relationship with God and others,

160
00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,720
then I think you might return to God in prayer

161
00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:06,800
and remember the truth that we all yearn to hear,

162
00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,760
a truth that Jesus died to tell you,

163
00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:13,960
a truth most clearly conveyed by the cross of Christ.

164
00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:15,240
You are not alone.

165
00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:18,660
You are valued, you are seen, you are loved,

166
00:07:18,660 --> 00:07:21,500
and so is everyone you encounter this night,

167
00:07:22,460 --> 00:07:25,540
those who wear an ashen cross and those who do not.

168
00:07:25,540 --> 00:07:30,540
Amen.