Joel
2: 1 – 2, 12 – 17; Psalm
103: 8 – 14; II
Corinthians 5: 20b – 6: 10; Matthew
6: 1 – 6, 16 – 21
A
homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given
at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon,
Illinois on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
“MAINTENANCE
OR REPAIR REQUIRED”
Many of you know that my wife drives
a nice little old red car that used to belong to her mother. Naturally, there’s great sentimental
attachment to that vehicle, constantly reminding her of her mother.
This car – like many others today –
has a number of warning lights to inform us of the car’s condition. This one has two lights that are good
illustrations of the sorts of things we might want to pay attention to in this
holy season of Lent: One is the “service
required” light, and the other one is the “check engine light”.
The “service required” light tells
the driver that, because of the time or the mileage accumulated, some
preventive maintenance is required in order to keep the car running smoothly
and reliably.
The “check engine” light is a
warning light, telling us that something is amiss with one or more of the
systems in the car. Ignoring this light
for any length of time increases the risk that the car will break down at some
point in the future.
Applying this illustration to the
business of Lent, we can see that, as we reflect on our own spiritual condition
and walk with the Lord, that there might be some maintenance needed on our
relationship, maintenance that will keep things running smoothly, maintenance
that just might even improve our closeness to God. This sort of maintenance is at the heart of
the reason for Lent in the first place:
Time has accumulated since the last call for routine maintenance, and so
it’s time to engage in some more. Some
concrete suggestions in this area might include: Bible reading and study, daily worship using
Morning Prayer and/or Evening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, reading a
devotional book during Lent, or taking up some ministry for the benefit of
others (food pantry, homeless shelter,
etc.). Use your imagination, and ask the
Lord for guidance.
But some matters go beyond routine
maintenance…these are conditions that imperil our walk with the Lord, for they
have the power – just like the illustration of the car we began with – to stop
any forward movement with God. These
conditions are “show-stoppers”. Some
threats of this sort might include a serious and besetting sin, an addiction of
some sort, or a habit that displays a poor Christian witness to others in the
body of Christ and to the world.
Remedies might include:
Confession of the sin or the condition to the Lord, along with the
resolve to – with the Lord’s help – forsake the sin or condition. It might also involve the Sacrament of
Reconciliation (the old name for this Sacrament was Confession), where the sin
is confessed to a caring priest.
As we set out on our Lenten journey,
might we examine our hearts and minds to see what areas might benefit from some
routine maintenance? Might we also ask
ourselves, honestly, if there are any “show-stoppers” in our walk with God that
threaten to harm that relationship?
May we, enabled by the Holy Spirit,
see ourselves as God sees us, to the end that we will take the steps necessary
to improve our relationship to the God who loves us, and to amend our lives, if
in any way our walk is in peril.
AMEN.
