So What Faith

Greg Smith

Ash Wednesday: Are You Ready? (#2300)

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Today I served as the supply pastor for Central Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Dallas, Texas on Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday at Central Lutheran Church (photo by Greg Smith)

Sermon

My message, “Are You Ready?” is based on Psalm 51:1-17 and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21.

You can watch on Facebook (sermon begins at 37:10) or read the manuscript.

Excerpt

Grief is difficult and deeply personal. In our culture, grief is something we tend to experience privately. When we are grieving, we are cautious about who we are real with, and most folks become skilled at putting on a show around everyone else, or at least doing so when we feel it’s needed.

Imagine how awkward a grieving person might appear if they were completely transparent about their grief in every setting. Imagine if they told every passerby exactly how they felt, sparing no detail. That kind of raw honesty would be overwhelming for the one in grief and for all the people they encounter.

As a pastor, I have walked alongside many people through grief. I’ve thought about it more than most. And recently I’ve been reflecting on it quite often after being elected to serve on the Board of Directors of Faith and Grief Ministries, an organization devoted to supporting people as they journey through grief.[1]

Radical transparency about grief is a lot to process. But tonight, we face something even more challenging. We gather to recognize our mortality. Many will soon come forward to receive ashes hearing the familiar words, “Remember you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.”

We have already joined our voices with the psalmist and with Christians far beyond these walls and across the centuries when we said together, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” [2] Ash Wednesday feels a lot different than it did when we gathered here just a few days ago and that is by design. . .

[1] See the organization’s website to learn more: https://www.faithandgrief.org/

[2] Psalm 51:3, NRSV.

Prior Visits

I am on Central’s campus on a regular basis since they provide space for White Rock Center of Hope’s administrative offices. Past visits (or planned visits) on Sunday include: