Confounding Wisdom

Well it's now Tuesday afternoon and I have yet to start actually writing my sermon for tomorrow's Ash Wednesday service. But as I sit down to focus on that, I find my mind wandering back to this blog because I have been doing my usual sermon prep and I have been struck by the powerful imagery used in the Ash Wednesday service.

In the church year, we move from ashes to fire. We move from the Ashes of our own mortality on Ash Wednesday, through the season of Lent as we reflect on our lives and what things we need to improve on in our relationship with God and one another. We see the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and a few days later celebrate the power of God's love and grace in the resurrection of Christ. We witness the resurrected Christ in our midsts during the season of Easter and then on Pentecost sunday, what all began in the ashes of our own mortailty is now on fire with the love and grace of God. What was once a rag-tag group of people, is now one body, united in the triune God who loves us so much that we are made new, and not just new, but we are made whole.

This part of the church year goes contrary to our usual way of thinking. We usually experience fire that burns for a while and then dies out, leaving only a pile of ashes behind. And yet God confounds our wisdom and refuses that. Instead God brings life and passionate fire, where there was once only death and ashes.

As I thought about this I was reminded of a prayer I journaled awhile back. I thought I would share it with you:

Confounding Wisdom

You are confounding wisdom
overturning worldly knowledge
Your teachings confuse us
your example convicts us.

You speak of death leading to life
of liberation in servanthood
of power in weakness
of rebirth and life from above.

You are confounding wisdom
the world cannot comprehend you
We so often misunderstand you
even limit you to our preconceived notions of impossibilities

Confound our wisdom this day!
Turn these ashes into fire
Reveal your truth
and expand the realm of possibilities.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, whose obedience liberates.
Amen.