Stop It and Tidy Up

ASH WEDNESDAY
Readings; Psalm 51:1-17, Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, 2 cor. 5:20-6:10, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, March 5th, 2014

A printable PDF file can be found here

The book 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' by British author, Rachel Joyce, weaves the delightful tale of  Harold, who having received an unexpected letter from an old work colleague battling terminal cancer, writes a note. On his way to the mail he makes the unlikely decision to walk the length of England and visit them instead.

Along the way he uncovers much about himself through the encounters with the people he meets. He encounters a man, smartly dressed in an immaculate suit, with perfectly shaped hair, who exuded an air of self confidence that had eluded Harold for all of his life. Harold is somewhat in awe.

Whilst they share a tea-cake together the distinguished silver haired gentleman breaks down and confesses to Harold that he is having an affair with a person he dearly loved, but the kind of affair that if ever came out, would destroy him. The object of the mans affections needed some new shoes. “I can't bear to think of them walking the streets with a hole in their shoe. What should I do?” the distinguished gentleman asks him.

“Harold sat in silence. The silver-haired gentleman was in truth nothing like the man Harold had first imagined him to be. He was a chap like himself, with a unique pain; and yet there would be no knowing that if you passed him in the street, or sat opposite him in a cafe and did not share his teacake. Harold pictured the gentleman on a station platform, smart in his suit, looking no different from anyone else.

It must be the same all over England. People were buying milk, or filling their cars with petrol, or even posting letters. And what no one else knew was the appalling weight of the thing they were carrying inside. The inhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a part of things that appeared both easy and everyday. The loneliness of that. Moved and humbled, he passed his paper napkin. 'I think I would buy them the shoes', said Harold.”

Many people carry stuff they would rather avoid. Skeletons in the closet. Places, emotionally or literally that they don't want to go. I remember as a child being told to “Stop it and Tidy Up” and how I used to try and put all my junk into one closet. As long as the room looked clear, then everything would be fine. But please; don't open the closet. I think we all do it. We have a garage, or a shed or an attic, or even a closet where we put all the stuff we don't want to sort out. But there comes a time when you can't ignore it any longer and things have to be sorted.

Maybe that's what Jesus is hinting at when he teaches about secret giving, praying and fasting. That the outward acts, though laudable and recommended, could be deceptive. That it was the things we did in private, that truly revealed our relationship with God.

We are familiar with politicians being criticized when their secret life does not square up with their public face. Where would the news media be without the occasional political scandal involving somebodies mistress or some funds used inappropriately? Likewise with celebrities.

They are put on a pedestal and live in the glare of the spotlight, yet often become train wrecks. You fear what fame is doing to young stars like Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. How much of their behavior is simply kicking back at the unreal world they are forced to live in? In many cases, like the tragic death of Philip Seymor Hoffman, what is found in the closet is toxic and dangerous and life destroying.

This teaching on secret place giving, praying and fasting, recalls to us the truth that life is not about appearances. That only when our outward acts are balanced by inner reality can wholeness come.  It is recognition that the One we need to seek approval from over and above all others, is God. That security comes, not  through our ability to make an impression on others, but found through resting secure in the knowledge that we are God's children, accepted, forgiven and cherished in Jesus Christ.

The season of Lent offers a wonderful opportunity to go beyond re-arranging the furniture and actually sort out the junk in the closet.  In our bible study group that has been focused on Romans we have been studying Paul's teaching that there is a fault line that runs throughout all humanity, that none of us is immune from the destructive tendencies of sinful behavior. That all of us experience, to quote from the novel I mentioned earlier, 'The inhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a part of things that appeared both easy and everyday. The loneliness of that.'

Easter comes in Spring. And one of the things that a lot of folk do in Spring is 'Spring Cleaning'. Spring cleaning properly executed is a lot more than 'Stop it and Tidy Up'. It goes deeper then that. It may even involve clearing out those areas we have been neglecting or ignoring.

In the marking with ashes we use the phrase “From dust you have come, to dust you shall return”. Life is not infinite. We live in the period between dusting! And life can be delightful. But not if we are hiding our real ourselves or in denial of our private selves. God invites us to seek true wholeness.

To pursue in the secret places and the public places the things of Christ's kingdom. To live, not for the benefit of self or to make an impression on others, but live secure in the knowledge that through Jesus Christ our lives are blessed with purpose, meaning and significance.

As the imposition of ashes takes place, seek for God to act in your secret place though the influence and power of the Holy Spirit. Bring those tender places that they may be healed. Expose the dark corners to the light that they may be cleansed. By God's grace, may this be a time to 'Stop It and Tidy Up' and clear out the closets of our hearts. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.