MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-21 | A TITHE OF OUR YEAR – ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE

A TITHE OF OUR YEAR

MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-21

ASH WEDNESDAY

IT HADN’T OCCURRED TO ME UNTIL I READ IT FROM FREDERICK BUECHNER (SEE THIS MONTH’S PASTOR’S MESSAGE IN OUR NEWSLETTER) THAT THE FORTY DAY PERIOD OF LENT IS ROUGHLY A TITHE OF OUR YEAR.

365 DAYS IN A YEAR, 40 DAYS OF LENT, ROUGHLY 10% OR A TITHE OF OUR YEAR.

AND AS A TITHE, WHAT BETTER WAY TO SPEND 10% OF OUR SPIRITUAL EQUITY THAN IN THE PURSUIT OF GOD, A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OURSELVES, AND BY HELPING OTHERS?

OUR PASSAGE FOR THIS EVENING BEGINS BY TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE GIVE; THEN ABOUT HOW WE PRAY; BEFORE MOVING ON TO FASTING; AND A SELF-STUDY ON WHERE OUR TREASURES ARE – AND THUS, WHERE OUR HEARTS WILL BE.

TO ME, THOSE FOUR THINGS SOUND LIKE A PERFECT TITHE OF THE REST OF OUR YEAR.

GIVING, PRAYING, FASTING, SEARCHING.

AS YOU ARE PROBABLY AWARE, THE NUMBER 40 IN THE BIBLE IS MEANT TO REFER TO NOT ONLY A NICE ROUND NUMBER, BUT TO A GENERATION OF PEOPLE.

IT ALSO REFERS TO SOMETHING BROUGHT TO COMPLETION.

A PERSON WAS FULLY GROWN AT THE AGE OF 40.

THE REIGN OF MANY OF THE KINGS WAS 40 YEARS.

FORTY DAYS WAS CONSIDERED A PROPER WAITING TIME.

FORTY LASHES WAS A MAXIMUM PUNISHMENT.

NOAH AND HIS FAMILY WERE IN THE ARK FOR FORTY DAYS.

MOSES AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WANDERED IN THE WILDERNESS FORTY YEARS.

JESUS WAS IN THE WILDERNESS FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS.

SO, TONIGHT, WE ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK UPON ANOTHER LENTEN SEASON, FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS.

AND IF YOU ARE WONDERING HOW WE GET THERE, IT’S THE SIX WEEKS OF LENT, FROM ASH WEDNESDAY TO EASTER, MINUS THE SUNDAYS (BECAUSE EVERY SUNDAY, NOT JUST EASTER IS A CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION – AND THUS, CANNOT BE A FAST DAY; SO, 40 DAYS).

NOW IF YOU ARE STILL TRYING TO DO THE MATH IN YOUR HEAD – 6 WEEKS X SEVEN DAYS = 42 DAYS – 6 SUNDAYS WOULD EQUAL 36 DAYS;

SO, YOU HAVE TO ADD THE FOUR DAYS OF ASH WEDNESDAY + THE THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY AFTER IT, TO GET TO FORTY DAYS!

WHAT THE EARLY CHURCH WAS REALLY TRYING TO DO WITH THE PERIOD OF LENT IS MIRROR THE FORTY DAYS OF JESUS FASTING IN THE WILDERNESS; SO,  THAT’S HOW WE GET THERE.

AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, IT’S ROUGHLY A TITHE OF THE WHOLE YEAR.  AND AS A TITHE, AS THAT 10%, WE ARE TO GIVE IT BACK TO GOD;

SO, LET’S THINK OF LENT AS OUR TITHE TO GOD; THIS TIME OF PREPARATION LEADING UP TO EASTER.

AS WE HAVE SAID MANY TIMES, AND AS MAY BE YOUR OWN CUSTOM, PEOPLE OFTEN GIVE UP SOMETHING FOR LENT: SUGAR, FAT, CHOCOLATE, SMOKING, DRINKING, MEAT OR OTHER FOODS, ETC.

AND THAT’S ALL WELL AND GOOD, AND IS, IN FACT A TYPE OF FASTING, ITSELF.

IF THIS SORT OF FASTING, OR A MORE REGIMENTED STYLE OF FASTING HELPS YOU FOCUS LESS ON THE PHYSICAL, THE MATERIAL, AND MORE ON THE SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE, SO BE IT.

BUT THE EARLY CHURCH, AND THE CHURCH EVER SINCE, WAS WISE BY ALSO FOCUSING LENT ON THE PASSAGE WE READ EARLIER:

JESUS’ WORDS ABOUT GIVING, PRAYING, FASTING, AND SEARCHING OUT ONE’S OWN HEART.

THESE ARE EXCELLENT SPIRITUAL PURSUITS; PERFECTLY DESIGNED FOR LENT;

AND WHILE SOME OF THEM CAN BE CHARACTERIZED AS GIVING UP SOMETHING FOR LENT; THEY CAN ALSO BE CHARACTERIZED AS TAKING UP SOMETHING; DOING MORE OF SOMETHING:

MORE SPECIAL GIVING; MORE PRAYING; MORE FASTING; MORE SELF-EXAMINATION AND SOUL SEARCHING.

THE GOAL HERE, AND THE PROCESS OF GETTING TO THE GOAL IS EVERY BIT AS IMPORTANT AS THE GOAL ITSELF, IS, OF COURSE, TO GET CLOSER TO GOD;

CLOSER TO OURSELVES, OUR TRUE SELVES;

AND CLOSER TO OTHERS, BY MINISTERING UNTO THEM.

NOT A BAD WAY TO SPEND 40 DAYS.

AND LIKE ALL THOSE OTHER 40’S WE MENTIONED EARLIER FROM SCRIPTURE, THERE IS COMPLETION; WHOLENESS; FULFILLMENT;

FOR ONCE THE 40 DAYS HAVE PASSED – COMES EASTER!

SO, THIS EVENING, I’M ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER TITHING THE NEXT 40 DAYS TO GOD.

IF THAT MEANS GIVING UP SOMETHING, GREAT; IF THAT MEANS TAKING UP SOMETHING, ALSO GREAT;

IF IT MEANS MORE TIME SPENT ON YOURSELF, WONDERFUL; IF IT MEANS MORE TIME SPENT DOING FOR OTHERS, ALSO WONDERFUL!

THE POINT IS, NOT SOME SORT A STANDARDIZED REGIMEN WE MUST FOLLOW, BUT FOLLOWING OUR HEARTS, AND OUR FAITH, AND GOD’S LEADING, TO WHAT, TO WHERE, WE NEED TO GO IN OUR OWN SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OVER THE NEXT 40 DAYS.

I WISH YOU WELL.  KNOW THAT I WILL BE PRAYING FOR YOU, EACH DAY, AS YOU MAKE YOUR JOURNEY THIS YEAR; THAT’LL BE A PART OF MY TITHE.

FIND WHAT IT IS YOU MUST DO;

NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU WOULD MOST LIKE TO DO, THOUGH THAT’S OKAY TOO;

BUT FIND WHAT YOU MUST DO, FOR YOURSELF, FOR GOD, FOR OTHERS, OVER THE NEXT 40 DAYS, AND PURSUE IT WITH A PASSION.

“FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.”