Always We Begin Again: A Sermon for Ash Wednesday

“Even when we fail…always we begin again.” This is a quote from one of my heroes in the faith, St. Benedict of Nursia. It comes from the Rule that Benedict created for his monastic communities in the 6th century. But we do not have to be a Benedictine monk or nun to be drawn to this quote.

“Even when we fail…always we begin again” is for all of us who are on the journey of Christian discipleship – this journey that is marked by daily failure, followed by beginning again...and again…and again.

As such, “Even when we fail…always we begin again” is an Ash Wednesday saying – a Lenten saying. Ash Wednesday is the day that the Christian tradition has marked as the time for “beginning again.” As such, Christians since the 4th century have used the holy season of Lent to refocus our intentions towards embodying our baptismal identities as beloved children of God – simultaneously fallen and redeemed.

As we heard with the Ash Wednesday exhortation earlier in the service, we are invited to observe a holy Lent through the spiritual disciplines of self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. That sounds like quite a lot. If you feel overwhelmed by this list, I encourage you to pick one or two to focus on this year.

We must remember that Lent is not meant to be a sort of spiritual Cross Fit or Olympics. And please remember that when we engage in the Lenten disciplines, we are doing so not so that God will love us more. God already loves us more than we can imagine, and it does not ebb and flow like human love does. The Lenten disciplines are to transform us, not God.

We engage the Lenten disciplines so that we might experience a deeper, more intimate relationship with God through his son, Jesus Christ. That’s it. We are simply being invited to know and love Jesus more fully. And the Church throughout the ages has found that the spiritual disciplines of self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word are effective ways to come to know and love Jesus more fully. But at the end of the day, it is about knowing and loving Jesus more intimately.

And of course, we are called to know and love Jesus more fully all the time, not just during Lent. But we are human beings. Just as in our relationships with one another, we take for granted, neglect, or even abandon our relationship with God. Relationships of any kind are hard work! There’s a reason that there are countless marriage retreats available for couples these days. There’s a reason that families come together for the holidays, even when it involves travel over long distances. Our relationships with one another need attention and nurturing. Over the long haul, our relationships don’t flourish on their own. They need to be tended to. In our relationships with one another, we are always beginning again.

And so today marks a time and season where the Church invites us to begin again in our relationship with Christ. I encourage you to see this as a journey that we are all on together, as opposed to several different, isolated journeys. Yes, each of us has our unique story and our particular means for drawing closer to God. Our Lenten disciplines in that regard are very personal. But we do not journey alone. That is the beauty and power of Christian community. St. Benedict was so drawn to the communal aspect of Christianity that he established what is now one of the great traditions of Christianity – the Rule of St. Benedict. Benedict knew that living together in monastic community was extremely difficult work, because it involves relationships between fallen human beings. His Rule was established as a means for helping these communities thrive, not as a means of being heavy-handed and strict.

And such is the case in our Christian community right here and right now. We are invited to observe a holy Lent so that we as individuals and we as a community can flourish in our own relationships, and in our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And as we begin again together, my prayer is that we all have a holy, blessed Lenten season. And may all of our Lenten disciplines draw us closer to the God who created us out of dust, and to the God to whom we will return.