Free Ashes [Ash Wednesday]

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The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Free Ashes

Back when I was involved in campus ministry, I was told repeatedly that to draw the people in, I needed to give things away. People generally, college students specifically, I was advised, love free stuff. And so, we would buy drinks at the campus coffee shop or offer pizza or give away color-changing cups inscribed with the ministry's information. And it is true: people do love free stuff. I mean, I get it: I love free stuff.

And as I look out at this assembly, it seems that you do as well. And apparently, when the price is free, we can offer just about anything. Today we are giving away free face ashes and here you are, ready to get some. And, let's be honest, ashes are not your typical giveaway for a reason; they are not nearly as fancy or flashy as, let's say, a color-changing cup.

And yet, here you are, foreheads ready, to receive your free gift. And I gotta be honest: I wonder why. I understand why folks show up here to celebrate Easter and Christmas. Those are exciting, happy days: the music is great, the mood is upbeat, there is even some comforting nostalgia hanging in the air. People leave on those days feeling good.

But this liturgy, it is not happy. The mood is solemn, heavy. The rituals strange. The lessons from Scripture are severe. The words are too honest. You will not leave here today with warm fuzzies; there will be no motivational speeches; you will leave here marked as mortal, confronted with your inevitable fate. And your free gift, those ashes, will remind you, every time you look in the mirror today, of your shortcomings and your impending death.

And so I wonder why you are here today. I wonder why you have chosen to spend your [morning, lunch hour, evening] in this building acknowledging, as our collect sharply states, your “wretchedness.” I wonder what compels you to silently stand before your priest as he looks into your eyes and tells what you already know, but maybe wish you didn't: that you are dust, and to dust you shall one day return.

And how do you explain today – to your curious co-workers, to your friends, to your clients, to the folks in your life who might think your black cross weird? In a culture that obsesses over beauty and perfection, you want your face smudged with the ashen remains of old palm branches. Doesn't that seem strange? In an age of excess, you are called to a season of voluntary fasting and self-denial – practices that are not fun. In a nation in which hubris is currently running rampant, truth is a victim of partisan politics, and remorse considered a weakness, what you are doing today is shockingly counter-cultural. Did you realize that?

Today you will leave this place wearing your free ashes on your face, moving through the remainder of your day as a living, breathing billboard for... something. People will gawk at you; they will ask you questions; they will wonder if your cross is simply cosmetic or something more. And then, before bed, you will wash your face and the ashes will circle the drain and disappear from your life. Gone. Just like that.

Will the impact of this day outlast your ashes? That is always the question of Ash Wednesday. Are the ashes simply a souvenir, something to check off the to-do list, an easy way to impress your pious pals?

Or will you let them brand you soul, wear them like a scarlet letter? Will you be marked as different?

These ashes say something profound about the life you are choosing to live. They expose you. If you've been wondering if coming here for ashes, to be reminded of your mortality and wretchedness, to fall on your knees in lamentation and repentance makes you strange, well the answer is: it does.

These ashes expose everything in you that normal people try to hide. They expose you as a broken, dying, selfish, envious, dishonest, imperfect, complicit, sinful mortal. That little black cross: it exposes, for the world to see, the darkness in your soul and the great cost of your salvation. Everybody wants to be strong and you are weak. Everybody wants to be right and you are wrong. Everybody wants to be great and you are wretched. Everybody wants to rule the world and you are a beggar in the house of God. Everybody wants to be a winner and you are a loser.

That is what these ashes say. They expose you. They give you away. So yeah, the ashes are free. But cost of living up to them is much, much higher.

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