The Party’s Over – March 2, 2022, Ash Wednesday

Psalm 51, James 4:1-10
Ash Wednesday, 2022

If you know me, you know that music is often part of my thought process.  Many times, when I begin thinking about something, a song will come to my mind.  Does that happen to you?  Several years ago – way back before the pandemic – the pastors decided that the theme of one of our Lenten series would be “Journey.”  Do you remember that?  As part of that series, each of us was to develop a service with a message that had to do with that theme.  And when I thought about “Journey,” I immediately thought of the song “Don’t Stop Believing!”

So, when I thought about Ash Wednesday this year, the first thing that came to mind was this old classic song, “The Party’s Over.”  (Do you remember that one?!)  I thought about that because Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent.  And I thought about its’ context.  I thought about what comes right before it.  Because right before Ash Wednesday is what has been called “Shrove Tuesday,” or even “Fat Tuesday.”  Do you know those terms?  Does anyone have any Shrove Tuesday traditions you celebrated yesterday?

When I was in the Midwest, I used to try to get people interested in having some kind of Shrove Tuesday celebration.  But it never really went over all that well.  Because, believe it or not, all the people out there could think about was the “Pancake race.”  Have any of you ever heard of that?  That’s a friendly competition, on Shrove Tuesday, between the people of Liberal Kansas and Olney England.  I don’t know how it started, but on that day, they race 415 yards down the streets of each of those cities, flipping pancakes in a pan.  Yes, that is a thing!  But it hardly does justice to the tradition surrounding the beginning of Lent, which is the most solemn and holy time of the year!

Of course, one of the biggest celebrations on that day is Mardi Gras.  Has anyone ever been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras?  (Should I ask you what it was like?)  I’ve never been there myself, but from the descriptions I’ve heard, and the pictures I’ve seen, it’s quite a party!  And that’s how the song came to mind, “The Party’s over.”

The idea is that it’s the last big party, the last celebration, the last time of revelry before the subdued, thoughtful, introspective time of Lent.  And Lent is a time when we think about all those things we read in our “Invitation to observe a Holy Lent.”  Look at it again.  We are invited to observe a Holy Lent, “by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by practicing works of love, and by reading and reflecting on God’s Holy Word, and by confessing our sins and seeking the forgiveness.”

That is quite a contrast to Shrove Tuesday, isn’t it?  That’s quite a contrast to Mardi Gras!  And that’s a tall order for some people.  But if you think about it, it’s really a tall order for all of us!  Lent is a time for all of us to change gears, to be more serious, and to put ourselves in a mindset to do those things – self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, confession.

And as we celebrate this day, we do so with ashes.  And that tradition is reminiscent of a practice that goes back to the Old Testament.  In those ancient days, when someone was truly penitent, they would put on sackcloth and sit in ashes.  That was the ultimate symbol of humility and contrition.  And that word “contrition” means not just being sorry for one’s sins, but being devastated and broken by one’s sinfulness.  The psalmist wrote, “For thou hast no delight in sacrifice.  Were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.  The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart thou wilt not turn away.”  (Psalm 51:16-17)

Indeed, the contrast between Shrove Tuesday – the big party – and Ash Wednesday, emphasizes for us our mortality and our sinful nature, in contrast to the amazing Grace of God! And those are things some people don’t want to acknowledge anymore.  They want to downplay our sinfulness.  They’d rather talk about Jesus more as a great teacher, and not so much a Savior.

And it’s ominous that Jesus warned us about this in Matthew 24.  In that chapter he was talking about the end times.  It’s a part of Matthew’s Gospel that has sometimes been called the “Little Apocalypse.”  Take a look at it sometime.  At one point, he said that the day of the Lord would take people by surprise.  It will come “like a thief in the night.”  Do you remember that?  “It will be like the days of Noah,” he said.  “In those days they were eating and drinking and ‘making merry,’ until Noah entered the ark.  And they did not know until the flood came!”

In other words, they were giving no thought to their own sinfulness and God’s Grace.  And Lent tells us that we need to remember those things!  We need to remember Jesus’ words.  And as we enter this time of year, we need to hear again these words of James.  “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to sadness.  Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. (James 4:7-10)

As God’s people, we need to recognize that the party’s over.  It’s now Lent.  But we also need to recognize that, in the end, it’s a party again.  For the other contrast with the season of Lent is the celebration of Easter – the Resurrection of our Lord!  That’s the most joyous time of the year!  We celebrate the great victory Jesus won over sin and death!  And it is when the party’s over, it is when we recognize our sinfulness and our depravity, it is then that we can truly appreciate the meaning of Easter.  Because then we can be more aware of what God has done for us, and how much he loves us! And that’s the real joy of being his people!

And when we see that once again, we can see a little more of the really big picture.  Because when the end times do come, at the culmination of all history, we are part of God’s eternal kingdom.  And, as Tony Campolo likes to point out, in the end of all time, the kingdom of God is a Party!  It’s a great banquet!  It is the marriage supper of the Lamb!  And we are all invited!  (So, I’ll see you all there!)

Prayer

Eternal God, help us to see even better this Ash Wednesday, your great love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  It wasn’t because we deserved it, but because you so loved the world.  Even in all our shortcomings and failures, help us to see your amazing Grace, and the joy of your kingdom.  For we pray in our Savior’s name, Amen.