Joel 2: 1–2, 1 -17 / Psalm 51: 1–17 / II Corinthians 5: 20 – 6: 10 / Matthew 6: 1–6, 16–21
This
is the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown,
Pennsylvania on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 by Fr. Gene Tucker
“LENT: A TIME FOR ‘NOT FORGETTING’”
(Homily text: Joel 2: 1–2, 12–17)
Ever forget something?
I have, but I can’t remember what it
was, or when it was that I couldn’t remember.
We’ve all had that experience. For
example, my mother used to say, “I need my glasses to find my glasses”,
meaning, of course, that she’d left her glasses somewhere, couldn’t find them,
and needed the very object she was looking for to find what she was looking for.
When I can’t remember something (like
people’s names, for example), I attribute my forgetfulness not to the specter
of advancing age, but to the fact that my mind is concentrating and working on
so many important matters. (OK, with that last statement, it’s possible that
I’m forgetting – or overlooking – the fact that I am getting older.)
With the arrival of the holy season of
Lent, instead of looking at this season in the ways we used to, that is to say,
as a time to give something up, or to deprive ourselves, perhaps we might
change our focus and concentrate, instead, on looking at ourselves honestly to
see what it is (if anything) that we’ve forgotten about our relationship to God
and our walk with Him.
In our relating to God, reminders of
God are all around us.
For example, Holy Scripture (the Bible)
is full of reminders. There, we find times when God’s people remembered God,
and – in particular – God’s mercy and faithfulness. Holy Scripture reminds us
of God’s holiness, and God’s judgment. (These two markers of God’s nature,
God’s mercy and lovingkindness and God’s holiness and righteousness, are key
parts of Lutheran theology and understanding.)
Holy Scripture is full of accounts of
those times, however, when people forgot God, or lived like there was no God. Invariably,
those were times of difficulty, of failure, of distress. Notice the Old
Testament prophet Joel, who says to God’s people, “Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning;
and rend your hearts, not your garments. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is
gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…”. Joel
is calling God’s people to remember God’s nature, and to remember their
relationship with God.
Our Communion liturgy always has
reminders of God’s lovingkindness and of God’s saving acts down through time.
(Those reminders occur after the “Holy, Holy, Holy”.) This reminder is
literally known as the “not forgetting”, or
the “remembering”.
People that we come into contact with
are reminders. Ever meet a person who seemed[1] to be especially godly? A person
who earnestly sought after God’s heart, mind and ways? Such a person is a
reminder of what it means to live a saintly life. (Of course, just the opposite
is also true: A person who’s living an evil or a wayward life is a reminder to
us that we shouldn’t emulate such a lifestyle.)
Now, as we begin our Lenten journey, perhaps
we might search our hearts, our minds, and the ways in which we spend our time,
or the ways in which we relate to God and to others. Are there times when we
live like God has no place in our lives? Are there times when we neglect our
prayer life, or our devotional life? We might ask ourselves, “Is there
something about my life in God that I’ve forgotten? Is there something that I
should devote more time and attention to? Is there something I’m overlooking or
missing?”
We will need the Holy Spirit’s help in
this soul-searching endeavor.
Welcome, then, to the living of a holy
Lent. May it be a time for remembering.
AMEN.
[1] The technical term is “anamnesis”, coming from the Greek. We all know the word “amnesia”, meaning to forget. “Anamnesis” inserts the prefix “a” (or “an”) before the word, changing its meaning to the negative.
