Matthew 6:1-6,
16-21; 2 Peter 1:2-11; Joel 2:12-19
In the Name of the Father and of the
+ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Today, on this first day of Lent, we
remember. We remember that we are dust, and that to dust we shall all return.
We remember that this is so because we are sinners, conceived and born in sin,
sin that was inherited from our fathers, and from our fathers’ fathers, all the
way back to our First Father Adam, and sin that we also have committed in the
past and sin that we continue to commit in the present. And, not only do we
remember that we are sinners, but we confess this fact about ourselves each and
every time we gather in this place to receive our Lord’s gifts. However, this
day we remember and confess our sins in a different way. Today, we wear our
sins. We show them for all the world to see. We hide nothing. We wear our sins
boldly, and not in shame, but in confidence, because we know and we believe
that all our sins, all our guilt, that which we have committed ourselves along
with that we have inherited from our fathers, has been forgiven, washed away,
and absolved in the precious, holy, innocent, and cleansing blood of Jesus on
the cross.
This day you were marked with ashes, you
were marked with dust, as you heard these words: “Remember, O man, that you are
dust, and to dust you shall return.” God made your First Father from the dust
of the earth. Because of his sin, and because of your sin, you are destined to
return to that earth and dust from whence you came, for you were conceived and
born in sin, and sin continues to dwell in your flesh, and the wages of sin is
always and only death. And yet, the ashes you wear are in the form of a cross,
for your sins are absolved and forgiven in the holy and innocent shed blood of
Jesus, the Second Adam, who, having no sin, submitted to the death you justly
merit, in your place, that He might give you, in blessed exchange, His holy,
righteous, and eternal life. For, in your Holy Baptism you were marked and
sealed with a cross you cannot see, and even more, with the Word and Name of
God that forgives your sin and seals you in God’s forgiveness through faith in
Jesus Christ. This is what you must remember this day, and every day of your
life: That you are dust, but you are forgiven dust. That you are a sinner, but
you are a forgiven sinner. We are all forgiven sinners, for only sinners can be
forgiven, and Jesus Christ has laid down His sinless life unto death for you,
and for me, and for all people so that, though we all return to dust, we all
may be raised a new creation.
And so, today we remember. And what we
remember is the goodness, the grace, and the mercy of our Lord and God. And so,
we prodigal children also return to Him in repentance: “Return to the LORD your
God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast
love; and He relents over disaster.” Today we remember that our Prodigal Father
is good, gracious, merciful, and unchanging. Today we remember that, though we
have often wandered far from Him and squandered His gracious gifts, He remains
for us, steadfast and waiting to receive, to forgive anew, and to restore.
Therefore, remember and return. Return, therefore, remembering, that there is
something, there is someone, to return to. Make your confession, but offer Him
nothing; only receive what He gives: forgiveness, life, and salvation through
faith in Jesus Christ. And, instead of mourning, He calls you to a feast and a blessing:
grain, wine, and oil, His gifts of love to you, for “He does not deal with us
according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”
And, what shall you render to the Lord
for all His benefits? Eat the bread of His body by which He gives you the forgiveness
of sin, life, and salvation. Take the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name
of the Lord. The highest worship of the Lord is to receive His gifts.
Therefore, lay up your treasures, not on earth, where moth and rust destroy and
where thieves break in and steal, but lay up your treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For
where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Your treasure is
incorruptible, for it is not a thing, but a person. Likewise, your treasure
cannot be taken from you, for your treasure is Jesus.
And, because you have a treasure that
cannot be taken away, that cannot be corrupted or lose its value, you have the
freedom to live freely. For, you have been made partakers of Christ’s divine
nature and are no longer ruled by the passions of the flesh. Remember. Remember
who you are in Christ and do not submit yourself once again to the passions and
the desires of your flesh. Therefore, this Lententide, take the opportunity to
focus more upon those things that proceed from your heavenly treasure and less
upon those things that merely satisfy the desires of the flesh. The traditional
Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are useful and
beneficial, for they focus the soul upon the true gifts that the Lord provides
and they strengthen faith, love, and charity.
But, most of all, throughout this
Lententide and all the time, remember this: There is always a home to come home
to, and a Father with open arms watching and waiting for His wayward sons and
daughters to return to Him. Even now the fatted calf is slaughtered and the
feast prepared. Come, for everything is ready. Come, bringing nothing but your
repentant and contrite hearts. Come, and receive forgiveness, healing, life,
and salvation anew. For, the Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in
steadfast love for His children. Return, because there is something, there is
someone, to return to.
In
the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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