WHY WE OBSERVE LENT
First Congregational Church of Evanston
Ash Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Matthew 6:7-13, Psalm 51:1-4, 10-19
The Story of Tracy and Jennifer
Why do we observe Lent? Some of you children may have been asking this question. I want to tell you a story that may help you think about it.
This story is about a little girl named Tracie. Tracie had a best friend named Jennifer who lived just down the street. They were playmates and like sisters. They visited nearly every day.
Then Tracie’s friend Jennifer was killed in a terrible car accident. Tracie and her family were hurt very deeply just like Jennifer’s family. The two families shared the terrible time together on the day of the funeral.
Then the day after the funeral, Tracie disappeared for a few hours. Her mother was very worried. She looked all over the house, and outside. When she went out to the street in front of their home, she finally saw Tracie walking very slowly looking at the ground. Her mother was glad to see her.
She hugged her and asked, "Where were you, Tracie? I was worried about you."
"I was at Jennifer's place," Tracie replied. "I was helping her mom."
"What were you helping her with?"
"Well,” Tracie said, “ neither of us felt like doing much, so I just crawled up into her lap and helped her cry." (Adapted from Emphasis, p 58)
Lent, Helping God Cry
I think that observing Lent may be a way of helping God cry. I have here a picture of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. This reminds us of the awful things that happened to Jesus, and how he was finally killed by hanging on a cross. Perhaps Lent is time of helping God cry about how people treated Jesus, and about how people still treat one another.
Jesus taught his disciples to pray – we have learned the Lord’s Prayer. In this prayer we ask God to forgive us for the things we do that hurt God or hurt others. But the prayer also reminds us that if we are going to be forgiven by God, we have to be willing to forgive others.
I believe that God cries about the things that we do that hurt one another – the things that we do that hurt God. How can we help God cry? Maybe it is by crying with other people about the things they have done that hurt us. Forgiveness is when we say, ‘Even though you hurt me, I still love you.’ God is always saying that to us: ‘Even though you hurt me, I still love you.’ But we can’t seem to hear God saying that to us until we take the time to cry with God, and to show God’s love to others.
Ashes on the Head or Hand
So to begin the days of Lent, we do something that we read about in the Bible – something that people did way, way back. They used ashes as a sign of asking God for forgiveness – we call that repentance – a sign of showing that they were crying.
And when we put on the ashes we say some sad words: ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.’ We are reminded that God loves us and makes us special.
As we travel through life, it has a beginning and an end for each of us, and God loves us and cares for us. God wants us to know that we are loved. God cries for us, because God loves us. We can help God cry, too, by showing God’s love for others.
And so I think this is why it is important for us to observe Lent – and it is a little of what it means to put on ashes on Ash Wednesday. Amen
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2008