Don't be showy, unless it is ashes

The following is an abbreviated version of an Ash Wednesday reflection offered here.

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Have you ever wondered why on the day when many Christians make a very public display of their religion is the same day that we read Jesus, who on the Sermon on the Mount says:

‘Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.*

‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

So what gives? Why not be showy unless it is Ash Wednesday?

Notice that Jesus speaks of three practices: fasting, praying and almsgiving. In each of these practices he speaks of a poor model and a better model. The poor model is that of the religious authorities while the better model is what he (Jesus) does. The invitation is not to abandon these practices but to model your practices from Jesus and not the hypocrites.

The invitation to model Jesus in our fasting, praying and giving is really just the beginning. And really among the easiest things to do as followers of Jesus.

Ashes on our heads on this day is not for show but the vow, promise, desire that we would model our lives after Jesus not just in the easy practices (fasting, praying and giving) but in the more difficult practice of Jesus: obedience.

As it is said of Jesus in Philippians 2:

who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.

The ashes on our heads are the hope that we too would imitate Christ not just in our fasting, praying and giving but in our divestment of power and control. In our obedience - even to the point of giving ourselves away. That we would take up the cross.

The ashes are the invitation to imitate Christ’s life, death and resurrection.

In this light, I less sure that ashes are very showy.

Why is God Jealous?

A few places in the Bible, God is described as a jealous God. Perhaps most well known in the book of Exodus when Moses is given the 10 commandments. Coming in at number two on the top ten is the following:

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…

It seems weird that God would ever be jealous of anything because, well, it is God we are talking about. Isn't God above being jealous? Maybe.

First it is worth noting that jealousy and envy are two different things, but we often confuse them. Many times we think of being jealous of someone who has something that we desire. For instance, if I see my neighbor have a cool house or new toy or physical physique I might say that I am jealous of my neighbors house, toy, body. And so when we encounter the ten commandments and read God is jealous, we wonder why would God ever be jealous? God does not need anything, and even if God did need something, God could create it! However this is not what jealousy is.

Desiring an object that your neighbor has is not jealousy, that is called envy. We envy things like homes, toys of physical characteristics. We might even envy our neighbor’s partner or our neighbor’s job. When we want what our neighbor has, we are envious not jealous.

Jealousy is not about desiring an object our neighbor has, but about desiring the relationship our neighbor has with that object. You may not desire your neighbor’s partner, but you desire the type of relationship your neighbor has with their partner. You may not desire the boat that your neighbor has, but you desire the joy your neighbor has when riding the boat. You may not want your neighbor’s physical body but you may want the attraction that your neighbor gets from others due to their physical characteristics.

God does not desire a thing, but God desires the relationship we have with things. God wants to be in relationship with you and when you are in relationship with something else (such as money or fame or success) God is jealous. God knows that your relationship with these other things (idols) are not good for you spirit or your community. God is not jealous because God is lacking in some way. Rather God is jealous because God desires so deeply to be in relationship with each one of us.

God is not envious, but God is jealous.

Christianity is Unrest

There are a lot of us who look to religion as a source of comfort and security. It makes sense because we all feel a sense of dis-ease in our lives. We all are looking for stability and an anchor. We all need a steady foundation to jump off from into this world of adventure.

The problem is that Christianity is not, despite what it looks like, a traditional religion. It is the one religion that attempts to dismantle religion by undercutting the notion that religion saves. It is, as Christians say, Grace that saves us - not our own actions or works.

If Christianity is not a traditional religion that attempts to get people to do the right things in order to save themselves, what is Christianity? Søren Kierkegaard called Christianity a state of unrest. That may only be mildly surprising. Perhaps you have heard it said that Christianity comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable? Hearing that Christianity is really a state of unrest is not what is necessarily notable here.

What is notable is what Kierkegaard points out to us: this unrest is initiated by God: “Christianity is the most intensive and strongest form of unrest thinkable. Christ’s coming is intended to disturb life. Where one wants to become a Christian, there will be unrest; and where one has become a Christian, there unrest follows.”

Here we are confronted with the idea that God is the one who gives us this unrest. But why? Why would God initiate a state of unrest in us? I thought God was in the work of rest and peace not unrest and restlessness.

It is this state of unrest that is the engine of our lives. The unrest is the point. The point is to see that in all of life, the thing that gives energy to us all, is an unrest or what we might call a contradiction. No matter where you look, outside or within, contradiction is woven into the fabric of creation. We are busy trying to root out this unrest/contradiction all the while the fabric frays. The more we try to root out the unrest or contradiction in our lives, the more it will explode in the world and many times it explodes in unhealthy ways. You see the unrest is the very engine of our lives, it is the thing that gives us energy. Until we come to peace with the unrest in our lives then we will erupt with violence.