Ash Wednesday
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III
The title of this day - Ash Wednesday (the rite when ashes are placed on the foreheads of penitents with the words, "You are dust, and unto dust you will return") - provides the theological clue for preaching during Lent and Easter. Every person who is born here on the earth will sooner or later be claimed by death. The Genesis 3 story is certainly true, in this respect: no one is exempt from death. Even Jesus, the very Son of God, had to die, partly because his incarnation caused him to share fully in the human experience of life and death, and because he was born to atone for the sins of others and bestow salvation upon repentant sinners. The grip of death is destroyed and people are released in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter reverses Ash Wednesday's awful announcement and says, "You are children of God, and through the living Christ you shall live forever." The death of human beings is preached during the season of Lent in the shadow of the cross; Jesus had to die in order to conquer death once and for all. The final and total victory will come with the parousia. When Jesus returns, death, which has been already conquered by Christ, will be no more. The Second Coming of the Lord will usher in the day of abundant and eternal life for the children of God.
Lent is the season when the ashes of Death are washed away again as the baptismal covenant with God is renewed. It is the time when the people of God participate in the death and resurrection of the Lord. They realize the conquest of death by their Lord and know that victory - forgiveness and eternal life - is promised them in their baptism. Baptism has to be the heart of worship and devotions, teaching and preaching, if people are to make the most of Lent and Easter.
The Prayer of the Day (LBW)
This is simply a revision of the traditional and classic Ash Wednesday collect appointed for use in many of the Western churches. God is addressed as a creator who loves all that he has made and forgives penitent sinners for their wrong-doings. The petition for God's grace looks to the cross and the empty tomb, asking God to "create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly repenting of our sins, we may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever." (In some parts of the church, this collect may be said as the first collect every day in Lent.)
The Psalm of the Day (LBW)
Psalm 51 - This is the plea of a penitent (David, it is assumed) who is deeply aware of his sin, searches his heart, and lifts up his voice to his Maker, pleading for mercy and forgiveness. It is one of the most abject prayers of confession and pardon in the whole Bible. The penitent knows the character of God, because he asks ("in your great compassion") for ultimate absolution - "Blot out my transgressions." He knows his own situation perfectly, "I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me," and even that "I have been wicked from my birth, a sinner from my mother's womb." The intensity - and singular beauty - of his plea heightens with these words that found their way, for obvious reasons, into the liturgies of the church long ago: "Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; wash me, and I shall be clean indeed [a baptismal connection].... Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.... Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.... Give me the joy of your saving help again, and sustain me with your bountiful spirit." As the Psalmist nears the end of his prayer, he cries out the word that all who have heard God's Word in the Garden ("You are dust, and unto dust you will return") need to address God - "Deliver me from death, O God, and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness, O God of my salvation." When he adds, "The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise," there is no mistaking that this is a psalm for Lent, especially for Ash Wednesday.
The Psalm Prayer
Almighty and merciful Father, you freely forgive those who, as David of old, acknowledge and confess their sins. Create in us pure hearts, and wash away all our sins in the blood of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Clearly, this, too, is not only a prayer for Ash Wednesday, but one that is also suitable for the entire season.)
The readings:
Joel 2:12-19
In this reading, it is God himself who issues the invitation to begin the season of Lent by engaging in the penitential discipline described in this text, which is reiterated in a different form and then expanded in Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6, the Gospel for the Day. The invitation is to "return to the lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." With the invitation, there is also a command that is most appropriate for Ash Wednesday and the full season of Lent: "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people." Those who respond, or in the case of Christians, "keep Lent," tell the world that they know "where" their God is; he is "in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." The final part is a promise to the people of Israel: "The Lord had pity on his people ... and said, ... 'Behold, I am sending you grain, wine, and oil [the eucharist for Christians?], and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations'." God is as good as his promise; the death and resurrection of our Lord tell us that.
2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:2
Paul's plea to the church at Corinth ("We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.") speaks specifically of the mercy God has extended to the world to all who know themselves to be sinners. Jesus became "sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." This is almost an accusation toward the Corinthian congregation - which might be one of our problems, too - that they have not taken the Gospel as seriously as they should have, apparently not comprehending that their sin separates them from God when it goes unrecognized and unconfessed. Genuinely repentant sinners, who base their hope of forgiveness and new life on Christ, are the only ones who can really be reconciled to God, because reconciliation comes through Jesus' death on Golgotha. His plea ("We entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.") points to the root of our predicament in our separation from God, assuring us that God will accept us forever in the Lord. Lent, for the Christian, "is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 (19-21)
The spiritual discipline of Lent is spelled out in detail in this Gospel in the context of, as Jesus puts it, "your Father who sees in secret (and) will reward you." In the practice of "piety," Jesus lists almsgiving first and directs that it should be done secretly and without any show of generosity. To advertise one's charity, so that others may see it and praise the giver, is unacceptable to God. To those whose giving has been acknowledged by others, Jesus says, "You have already received your reward." Prayer is the second act of piety that godly persons should practice, but people dare not pray in ways that bring attention to one's religiosity; such prayer, which is done for the benefit of others and is not really directed to God, is hypocritical and, therefore, worthless. Fasting, which is the last of the three acts of piety in Jesus' teaching, and is almost unknown among Americans, is also a spiritual exercise that has no merit unless it is performed to heighten one's sense of self-denial and the quest for the presence of God. In his forty days in the wilderness, Jesus engaged in two of these disciplines and did so in a one-on-one relationship with his heavenly Father. This, no doubt, sustained him when the Tempter tried to win him over to himself. When we follow his example, these devotional actions are not only expressions of penitence and self-denial, but are also signs of our complete dependence upon Jesus Christ for salvation, who is our treasure. He is the one who claims our hearts for as long as we live, for he alone is our salvation. Our almsgiving, prayers, and fasting are expressions of our gratitude and love, as well as repentance.
(Note: One of the puzzles about this traditional Gospel is that the Lord's Prayer has been omitted from the Ash Wednesday pericope. Since Jesus gave it to the disciples to teach them how to pray, it might be used for mid-week preaching, or, in some situations that are isolated by pastoral exegesis, as a Sunday sermon series. It is this "missing piece" in the Ash Wednesday puzzle that the sermon suggestions will consider in the context of baptism for Series/Cycle B. Incidentally, a sermon series on the Lord's Prayer makes an effective sermon series for the Wednesday of Lent.)
A Sermon on the Gospel, Matthew 6:7-15 - "Forgiveness - God's Baptismal Gift."
God bestows the gift of forgiveness, which brings reconciliation with him and new life, through the sacrament of baptism. Lent is the time we re-experience our baptism; it is a kind of annual baptism, not simply a spring revival, for the faithful. With the first words of Ash Wednesday still ringing in our ears, we hear a word of hope and joy,
In holy baptism our gracious Heavenly Father liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are born children of a fallen humanity; in the waters of baptism we are reborn children of God and inheritors of eternal life. By water and the Holy Spirit we are made members of the church which is the body of Christ. As we live with him and his people, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will of God.
1. Sinners all, because we are baptized we may boldly and expectantly pray, "Forgive us our sins" - knowing that the God, who already has forgiven us in baptism, will do so again. This is the prayer of repentant sinners, who seek reconciliation with God and renewal in Jesus Christ.
2. Repentant sinners are reconcilers themselves, forgiving their enemies as God forgives them. They forgive because they have been forgiven. As Tennyson's King Arthur said to his unfaithful queen, "Lo, I forgive thee, as the eternal God forgives."
3. People who refuse to forgive others for the wrongs done to them do not qualify for receiving the forgiveness of their sins by the Father. Forgiving others for what they have done to us does not win God's forgiveness and love, but refusing to forgive one's enemies makes one ineligible for God's forgiveness; such people are really unrepentant.
4. The Ash Wednesday communion renews our baptismal covenant and the forgiveness that is ours in Christ. It, as a participation in the death and resurrection of the Lord, offers a pattern for our daily lives - dying and rising in the Lord - as well as for Lent.
A Sermon Series on Old Testament Readings for Lent
In the context of baptism, these readings reinforce the theological clue: through baptism, God claims believers as his children. (See You Are My Beloved Children by GMB, Concordia Publishing House. Fred Kemper wrote the first section, You Are My Beloved Son.)
First Sunday in Lent, Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17; 3:1-7 - "Created as Children of God."
Second Sunday in Lent, Genesis 7:1-5, 11-12, 17-23 - "New Life for the Children of God."
Third Sunday in Lent, Jonah 3:1-10 - "God Relents When His People Repent."
Fourth Sunday in Lent, Isaiah 55:1-11 - "From Fast to Feast."
Fifth Sunday in Lent - Genesis 22:1-18 - "The Incredible Sacrifice."
Sunday of the Passion, Exodus 12:1-14, 29-34 - "The Passover and the Passion."
(Note: This series also continues through Eastertide so that both Lent and Easter are baptismally oriented. Other suggestions for Lenten preaching are included in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A.)
Lent is the season when the ashes of Death are washed away again as the baptismal covenant with God is renewed. It is the time when the people of God participate in the death and resurrection of the Lord. They realize the conquest of death by their Lord and know that victory - forgiveness and eternal life - is promised them in their baptism. Baptism has to be the heart of worship and devotions, teaching and preaching, if people are to make the most of Lent and Easter.
The Prayer of the Day (LBW)
This is simply a revision of the traditional and classic Ash Wednesday collect appointed for use in many of the Western churches. God is addressed as a creator who loves all that he has made and forgives penitent sinners for their wrong-doings. The petition for God's grace looks to the cross and the empty tomb, asking God to "create in us new and honest hearts, so that, truly repenting of our sins, we may obtain from you, the God of all mercy, full pardon and forgiveness; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever." (In some parts of the church, this collect may be said as the first collect every day in Lent.)
The Psalm of the Day (LBW)
Psalm 51 - This is the plea of a penitent (David, it is assumed) who is deeply aware of his sin, searches his heart, and lifts up his voice to his Maker, pleading for mercy and forgiveness. It is one of the most abject prayers of confession and pardon in the whole Bible. The penitent knows the character of God, because he asks ("in your great compassion") for ultimate absolution - "Blot out my transgressions." He knows his own situation perfectly, "I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me," and even that "I have been wicked from my birth, a sinner from my mother's womb." The intensity - and singular beauty - of his plea heightens with these words that found their way, for obvious reasons, into the liturgies of the church long ago: "Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; wash me, and I shall be clean indeed [a baptismal connection].... Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.... Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.... Give me the joy of your saving help again, and sustain me with your bountiful spirit." As the Psalmist nears the end of his prayer, he cries out the word that all who have heard God's Word in the Garden ("You are dust, and unto dust you will return") need to address God - "Deliver me from death, O God, and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness, O God of my salvation." When he adds, "The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise," there is no mistaking that this is a psalm for Lent, especially for Ash Wednesday.
The Psalm Prayer
Almighty and merciful Father, you freely forgive those who, as David of old, acknowledge and confess their sins. Create in us pure hearts, and wash away all our sins in the blood of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Clearly, this, too, is not only a prayer for Ash Wednesday, but one that is also suitable for the entire season.)
The readings:
Joel 2:12-19
In this reading, it is God himself who issues the invitation to begin the season of Lent by engaging in the penitential discipline described in this text, which is reiterated in a different form and then expanded in Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6, the Gospel for the Day. The invitation is to "return to the lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love." With the invitation, there is also a command that is most appropriate for Ash Wednesday and the full season of Lent: "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people." Those who respond, or in the case of Christians, "keep Lent," tell the world that they know "where" their God is; he is "in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." The final part is a promise to the people of Israel: "The Lord had pity on his people ... and said, ... 'Behold, I am sending you grain, wine, and oil [the eucharist for Christians?], and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations'." God is as good as his promise; the death and resurrection of our Lord tell us that.
2 Corinthians 5:20b--6:2
Paul's plea to the church at Corinth ("We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.") speaks specifically of the mercy God has extended to the world to all who know themselves to be sinners. Jesus became "sin, who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." This is almost an accusation toward the Corinthian congregation - which might be one of our problems, too - that they have not taken the Gospel as seriously as they should have, apparently not comprehending that their sin separates them from God when it goes unrecognized and unconfessed. Genuinely repentant sinners, who base their hope of forgiveness and new life on Christ, are the only ones who can really be reconciled to God, because reconciliation comes through Jesus' death on Golgotha. His plea ("We entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.") points to the root of our predicament in our separation from God, assuring us that God will accept us forever in the Lord. Lent, for the Christian, "is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 (19-21)
The spiritual discipline of Lent is spelled out in detail in this Gospel in the context of, as Jesus puts it, "your Father who sees in secret (and) will reward you." In the practice of "piety," Jesus lists almsgiving first and directs that it should be done secretly and without any show of generosity. To advertise one's charity, so that others may see it and praise the giver, is unacceptable to God. To those whose giving has been acknowledged by others, Jesus says, "You have already received your reward." Prayer is the second act of piety that godly persons should practice, but people dare not pray in ways that bring attention to one's religiosity; such prayer, which is done for the benefit of others and is not really directed to God, is hypocritical and, therefore, worthless. Fasting, which is the last of the three acts of piety in Jesus' teaching, and is almost unknown among Americans, is also a spiritual exercise that has no merit unless it is performed to heighten one's sense of self-denial and the quest for the presence of God. In his forty days in the wilderness, Jesus engaged in two of these disciplines and did so in a one-on-one relationship with his heavenly Father. This, no doubt, sustained him when the Tempter tried to win him over to himself. When we follow his example, these devotional actions are not only expressions of penitence and self-denial, but are also signs of our complete dependence upon Jesus Christ for salvation, who is our treasure. He is the one who claims our hearts for as long as we live, for he alone is our salvation. Our almsgiving, prayers, and fasting are expressions of our gratitude and love, as well as repentance.
(Note: One of the puzzles about this traditional Gospel is that the Lord's Prayer has been omitted from the Ash Wednesday pericope. Since Jesus gave it to the disciples to teach them how to pray, it might be used for mid-week preaching, or, in some situations that are isolated by pastoral exegesis, as a Sunday sermon series. It is this "missing piece" in the Ash Wednesday puzzle that the sermon suggestions will consider in the context of baptism for Series/Cycle B. Incidentally, a sermon series on the Lord's Prayer makes an effective sermon series for the Wednesday of Lent.)
A Sermon on the Gospel, Matthew 6:7-15 - "Forgiveness - God's Baptismal Gift."
God bestows the gift of forgiveness, which brings reconciliation with him and new life, through the sacrament of baptism. Lent is the time we re-experience our baptism; it is a kind of annual baptism, not simply a spring revival, for the faithful. With the first words of Ash Wednesday still ringing in our ears, we hear a word of hope and joy,
In holy baptism our gracious Heavenly Father liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are born children of a fallen humanity; in the waters of baptism we are reborn children of God and inheritors of eternal life. By water and the Holy Spirit we are made members of the church which is the body of Christ. As we live with him and his people, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will of God.
1. Sinners all, because we are baptized we may boldly and expectantly pray, "Forgive us our sins" - knowing that the God, who already has forgiven us in baptism, will do so again. This is the prayer of repentant sinners, who seek reconciliation with God and renewal in Jesus Christ.
2. Repentant sinners are reconcilers themselves, forgiving their enemies as God forgives them. They forgive because they have been forgiven. As Tennyson's King Arthur said to his unfaithful queen, "Lo, I forgive thee, as the eternal God forgives."
3. People who refuse to forgive others for the wrongs done to them do not qualify for receiving the forgiveness of their sins by the Father. Forgiving others for what they have done to us does not win God's forgiveness and love, but refusing to forgive one's enemies makes one ineligible for God's forgiveness; such people are really unrepentant.
4. The Ash Wednesday communion renews our baptismal covenant and the forgiveness that is ours in Christ. It, as a participation in the death and resurrection of the Lord, offers a pattern for our daily lives - dying and rising in the Lord - as well as for Lent.
A Sermon Series on Old Testament Readings for Lent
In the context of baptism, these readings reinforce the theological clue: through baptism, God claims believers as his children. (See You Are My Beloved Children by GMB, Concordia Publishing House. Fred Kemper wrote the first section, You Are My Beloved Son.)
First Sunday in Lent, Genesis 2:7-9, 15-17; 3:1-7 - "Created as Children of God."
Second Sunday in Lent, Genesis 7:1-5, 11-12, 17-23 - "New Life for the Children of God."
Third Sunday in Lent, Jonah 3:1-10 - "God Relents When His People Repent."
Fourth Sunday in Lent, Isaiah 55:1-11 - "From Fast to Feast."
Fifth Sunday in Lent - Genesis 22:1-18 - "The Incredible Sacrifice."
Sunday of the Passion, Exodus 12:1-14, 29-34 - "The Passover and the Passion."
(Note: This series also continues through Eastertide so that both Lent and Easter are baptismally oriented. Other suggestions for Lenten preaching are included in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A.)
