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“Do You Promise to Tell the Truth, The Whole Truth – So Help You God?”
Ash Wednesday, 2007
Rev. Tonya Arnesen
Psalm 51:1-17, Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

I used to dread the Lenten season when I was a child. From what I could see, for six weeks a year, the church, (usually a happy place), turned somber and joyless. While the rest of the world was celebrating the end of winter and the beginning of spring, Christians went around with long faces. We were not supposed to be light-hearted because there was so much we should feel guilty about. We had to make sacrifices – give up something because Christ had given himself up for us.

I tried getting into the spirit of Lent by fasting. One year I gave up my favorite television show, another year I turned down sweets for six weeks. I guess I didn't do it right. Fasting didn't make me feel thankful – I ended up feeling deprived. My efforts didn't bring me closer to God – they made me resent that God would require I curb my appetites. I tried to be holy. .. I was doing the right things, but I did them for all the wrong reasons.

In our gospel lesson, Jesus reminds us that being holy is not just about doing the right things or making the right impression—being holy means living in right relationship with God Listen now, to the living Word of the Living God. . . (read gospel lesson)

***

Every year on Ash Wednesday, we read this same teaching from Matthew’s gospel, which reminds us there is no reward for play-acting; God does not honor mere showmanship. Jesus is reminding us to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Lent is an invitation to be honest with ourselves and with God. It is time to do our annual “cross examination.” Time to take an honest inventory – of our relationships, our priorities, our behavior, and our motives. Time to realign and adjust our lives, in whatever ways are necessary, to put us in right relationship with God and with one another.

But tonight I want to remind us that Lent is NOT mostly about what WE do. Even more important, we remember what God has done for us. During Lent, we take notice of what God is doing in the world now. And we anticipate the fulfillment of the blessed future God has promised. Lent invites us to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN. To focus on God’s presence and follow God's leading. That is how we live in right relationship with God.

When I was a young girl, my Dad used to take me to the playground. My favorite ride was the merry-go-round. I would grasp the bars and hold on for dear life, while Dad pushed me round and round, faster and faster. I looked out to see the sky become a fuzzy blue, the trees blur to a green haze, and though I knew he was still there, my Dad disappeared from sight altogether.

Wow! What a rush! But the thrill of the ride was not without peril. If I didn’t hold on tight, the merry-go-round flung me off into the dirt. Or, if I rode too long, I began to feel queasy and sick.

Fortunately, Dad knew better than I, when I’d had enough. He’d say, "Time to slow down, Tonya. Now, drag your feet, Honey." I'd drop my feet and dig them into the ground, kicking up a great cloud of dust. Slowly, the merry-go-round came to a halt. Then I sat still and dazed – staring at the world until the dizziness passed and my Daddy's face came into focus again.

I don't like merry-go-rounds any more. They are too much like real life! Most of us would agree that our lives are spinning out of control. We live in a flurry of activity, packing too much to do into too little time. Our lives are a blur of constant activity. But do we lament the long hours with little or no down-time? Do we regret the bags under our eyes, the ulcers in our stomachs? Not necessarily. Busy-ness has become a badge of honor in these fast times in which we live.

And Christians are not immune to busy-ness. Most of our conversations turn into a litany of our activities, a competition over who is more exhausted. "I'm sooooooo busy!" we say. But isn't our complaint tinged with just a hint of pride? After all, we are busy doing the Lord's work! Certainly God must be terribly impressed when we exhaust ourselves with good things.

I imagine that if Jesus were instructing us today, he might say, "Beware of complaining about your busy-ness to others in order to impress them; certainly God is not impressed -- remember, none of you can outwork God. But be a silent servant --tend to what needs to be done without calling attention to yourself. Your reward is in the doing, not in the recognition you receive from others."

"And take time to pray! Don't be like the hypocrites who talk, talk, talk about how much they love God, but don't spend any time with Him in prayer. Slow down! Listen for God's voice – your reward will be in truly learning to know and love God. Don’t use excessive busy-ness as an excuse to hide from God's presence."

I don’t know about you, but I’m convicted! I suspect some of us have grown weary of doing too much good stuff. And we get burned out, careless, short-tempered and resentful because with all our frenzied activity, we have little time for God. We become disconnected from our first love.

But some of us are guilty, not of too much, but of too little good stuff. We squander and waste the gift of time on trivial pursuits. We spend hours surfing the net and leave no time to study God's Word. We chatter idly on the telephone, but seek no meaningful conversation with God in prayer. We spend hours in front of the television, know all the latest gossip from Hollywood, but we don’t take time to reflect upon our own situation.

An overly-busy life is an unexamined life. When our days are exhausted in the pursuit of trivial things, we leave no time for eternal things. We leave no time to be present to God, to listen to the Holy Spirit's wise guidance, to hear the words of love that Christ longs to speak to us.

Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If indeed, our most treasured commodity is the gift of time, then how we choose to spend that time speaks volumes to God. Friends, how does the way you choose to spend your day communicate what is most important to you?

During this season of Lent, God invites you to pay attention to the ways you spend the gift of time. You may need to review your priorities, rearrange your waking hours, so that you can better focus on God. Perhaps you need to fast from those trivial pursuits – in order to pursue that which is eternal. Say no to some things so that you can say Yes to God.

Lent is an invitation to slow down and get off the merry-go-round. Drag your feet a bit! Stop your dizzying pace long enough to recover your bearings. When the dust settles, you might rediscover that God's loving face has come into focus for you in exciting new ways. And if you will take time to reconnect with God, you can better discern God’s will, God’s leading.

When I was a young girl, my family watched The Lawrence Welk show together – every Sunday evening. I was amazed by the grace and beauty of the ballroom dancers. Since my grandfather was a great dancer, I asked him to teach me the Fox Trot and the Box Step. Well, it was a frustrating venture for both of us. You see, despite my natural sense of rhythm, I simply refused to follow Paw-Paw’s lead! It didn’t matter that I knew none of the steps; I tried to anticipate his every move. I didn't understand that proper ballroom dancing requires one who knows how to lead and one who is willing to follow.

The same is true in the Christian life. If we want to be an effective disciple, we’ve got to be willing to follow God’s lead. Lent is not only an invitation to slow down and rest in God’s presence; it is also an invitation to learn to dance!

And what do you do when you're invited to a dance? You get cleaned up, shine your shoes, fix your hair and you walk out of the house with a smile on your face and a spring in your step! Likewise, Lent does not have to be joyless and morose. Yes, it is a time to recognize our sin and shortcomings, but remember – our sin is revealed to us in light of God's loving mercy and forgiveness. So we can be joyful!

This Lenten season, the Lord invites you to dance!! He wants to take you into His arms and whisper sweet words of love into your ear. He invites you to trust his lead, as he expertly maneuvers you through even the most difficult steps of life. He wants to move with you in perfect rhythm, so that together, you create beautiful movement which gives joy to all who watch.

**

Call to Prayer and Fasting

This Lenten season, the Lord invites you to dance! Question is, are you willing to accept his invitation? Will you make time for God? Let go of those trivial pursuits which squander your time and energy? Are you willing to follow God’s lead? Let this season be a time to reconnect with God, rekindle your love for Him, entrust yourself to his leading, so that as we move towards Easter, you will dance the dance of new life!

Rev. Tonya M. Arnesen

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