Broken But Recyclable

Lent officially began with the observation of Ash Wednesday, a day for Christians to confess their sins and receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. Ashes were a reminder of death, so when people were in mourning or received tragic news, they would put ashes over themselves. So, on Ash Wednesday, we confront the tragic news that because of our sins we deserve death and receive ashes on us in the shape of the cross. The cross reminds us that Jesus died in our place, and that if we confess our sins he will forgive them, so that although our mortal bodies will turn to dust one day, our souls can rise with Him in resurrection. This symbolic action of ashes begins our journey of Lent

The early church initiated a period of 40 days before Easter called Lent to remind themselves of Jesus’ sacrifice for them by sacrifices of fasting and acts of self-denial. Lent isn’t a scripturally defined event; you won’t find it in the Bible. But, in the Bible, the number 40 was symbolic of testing, or trial. Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness 40 days immediately after His baptism as an extreme test of His ability to resist sin. When the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land, they had to wander in the desert 40 years, testing their willingness to obey God before He would let them enter. So, fasting and prayer, eating fish on Friday, and abstinence during the 40 days leading up to Easter, are traditions that are ways of reinforcing Lenten ideals of sacrifice and testing. More recent practices, rather than self-denial, have been to help others, celebrating God’s saving love. But, no matter how we choose to observe Lent, it’s still a time of preparing ourselves to understand Jesus’ sacrifice and His victory of Easter.

When we prepare for any significant event, like Easter or Christmas, we prepare so we’re ready to appreciate the meaning and importance of that event. Lent allows us a time to do an honest self-examination of our lives, our souls, to assess our readiness to share in His Resurrection. Looking for the cracks and defects that need Jesus’ healing in our lives. Our theme for the past Ash Wednesday was Just As I Am. Lent’s not about trying to have God see us as we want to be seen. We don’t visit the Emergency Room to convince the doctor we’re healthy. We tell the doctor what’s wrong, where we hurt, to begin a process of healing. Just as in Lent we need to confess that we have sinned, acknowledging that our souls need healing.

So that’s our starting point, admitting we’re broken. Many people are afraid to admit we’re broken because we don’t want to face the consequences of our brokenness. We want to be healed, not be measured for a coffin, for those sins. We don’t want to hear that we’re no longer of any value, that we should be thrown away. We want to be told we have value, that there is still purpose and meaning for our lives.

There’s a growing market for recycled materials today. Materials that might have been otherwise considered useless, now being recycled to other continuing uses. My favorite example is the Navy USS New York, LPD 21, commissioned in 2007, a very modern warship very useful in supporting global anti-terrorism missions. But the significance of this ship was that 6.8 tons of the steel used in that ship's construction came from the rubble of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attack. Steel that was melted down in foundries and crafted by steelworkers who reportedly treated it with "a reverence usually accorded to religious relics." One worker even delayed his retirement after 40 years of working to be part of the project. But, on November 2, 2009 the newly commissioned ship passed the World Trade Center site for the first time, rendering a 21-gun salute. The tons of scrap metal, once seen as the defeated aftermath of a terrorist attack, were now recycled to be even more than an icon of hope and strength to stand against terrorism - but an effective weapon against evil.

As a modern parable of such recycling, there was once a medium sized church that had a very nice, well used altar area with a communion rail, an altar, a main pulpit, and a smaller pulpit for other speakers. It was large enough to stage a medium sized choir and musical instruments. But the Admin Board decided the aging altar area needed to be bigger so it could accommodate a modern performing arts area. So, the communion rail, the larger pulpit, and the altar were scheduled for demolition. A carpenter approached the contractor to ask what they planned to do with the wood. He was told the wood was old, with scratches and dents that had accumulated over the years. The mahogany, maple, and birch woods had no further use and would be sent to the scrap pile. The carpenter was distressed by the value he saw in the wood, even if others didn’t. So he volunteered to take the wood to his shop instead.