Ash Wednesday

Good Shepherd

2004 Pass Rd, Biloxi, MS 39531

Draft Jonah 3:1–10; 2 Pt 1:2–11; Mt 6:1–6, 16–21; Ps 51; anti: v. 17   –     2/18/26

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

St. Peter instructs us, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. I already spoke to you on Sunday regarding what St. Peter calls supplements to you faith. If you have not already begun your fast and your discipline, now is the time. Every time your mind or body craves what you have given up, repent for the weakness of your flesh. Every time your discipline is difficult to continue, pray to the Lord. Today we begin the season of self examination and repentance. Fasting and discipline serve the greater cause of self-examination and self-control. Self-examination so that we may fully understand our sanctification, that is, how poorly we are resembling Christ in our thoughts, words, and deeds, and having looked at our hearts, our minds, and our body through the strict judge of the Ten Commandments or this list St. Peter has given us we will see our sins more clearly that we may repent of them and be forgiven.

As Joel writes, “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” 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. Thus forgiven and strengthened we may live by God’s grace a little more like Christ Whose mark we bear. Fasting and discipline teach our heart, mind, and body that the desires of the flesh do not control them, but rather that God intends us for a higher purpose than the life of dust and ashes: holiness.

Thus St. Peter says, Jesus’ divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. We do not fully experience the divine nature while remain in the world, in these bodies of dust and ashes, that gift waits its completion in the life to come. The devil, meanwhile, with the world and our sinful flesh conspiring with him, plots to steal us from this great promise. He places before our eyes all the delights and wealth of the world, as if to buy our attention so that we no longer look to Christ and what Christ has won for us through His death on the cross. St. Peter warns, if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

The devil would return us to our sins by our desires of heart, mind, and body, the easy path, he would distract us so that we do not develop these qualities in our lives. He would blind us with the dust and ashes of this world, and tempt us to nullify the forgiveness of sins that Christ has given us in His blood and through the waters of Holy Baptism. Do not listen to him, do not listen the desires of your heart, your mind, or your body, listen instead to what Christ has done for you, In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him (Col 2:11–15).

St. James commands us, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (4:7–8). That is, repent. Do you see that you have coddled your belly, repent. Do you see that you have mistreated your parents, repent. Do you see that you have been lazy in your work, repent. God in Christ has taken the guilt of your sins and washed you clean. Then fasting and discipline come to train your heart, mind, and body to resist the draw and temptation of the devil, the world, and your sinful flesh of dust and ash. Yet, Jesus says, Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Your fast and your devotion are for you, not for the world, for if you dress in sackcloth and ashes, if you look gaunt and weary so that your efforts may be seen, you do not discipline yourself but seek to glorify yourself before men, men of dust and ashes. This is another of the devil’s tricks. Once he has lost the battle of distracting you with worldly matters, he tempts you to be proud of your resistance to his temptations. Do not heed him.

Jesus says further, when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

You do not have to fast alone. You do not need to discipline your body alone. Remember that Christ endured fasting for forty days in the wilderness, all the while Satan tempted Him. Christ understands, has endured, and will provide the strength and support you need not only for the season of Lent, but for all of your life of dust and ashes. And Solomon would remind you, And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Eccl 4:12). God has also given you your brothers and sisters in Christ that they may stand alongside you, encourage you, pray for and with you, and struggle along with you: Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Prov 27:17). We are dust, but we are dust redeemed by Christ. I will be praying for you.

Now the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen