Blinded by Abundance

sermon by Torin Eikler followed by ritual of repentence and forgiveness
1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:9-15

“Why do we do Lent?” … That was a question my friend was asked on the day before the season started – Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, or just last Tuesday. She told us about the conversation that evening, and I realized that, as strange as it may seem, I have never even wondered why we have Lent. I have asked myself all kinds of questions about how we observe the season and why we do the things we do, but why have Lent at all … not a thought that has crossed my mind.

The main point made my friend’s conversation was very simple … and true – Lent is not Biblical. There is no mention of the early church observing Lent, and though it may seem obvious, it bears saying that neither the Jews nor any of their forbearers ever spend 40 days in preparation for Easter. There was plenty of prayer and fasting and repentance – sometimes even for 40 days at a time, but it was always directed in a different direction. No open tomb to celebrate in the end. No eggs to hide or find. No season of celebration for the grace that brings new life. Typically, they were in search of a return to righteousness and the blessings that go along with being the chosen people of God.

That’s no small thing. God provides abundance for all of us – for all the chosen people. But especially here in the United States – here in the middle class where most of us live, we have much more than we even realize. Education – free and required. Television and newspapers and the internet – connecting us to the world and letting us know so much of what is going on (too much perhaps). Fresh water at the turn of a knob. Exotic foods like tomatoes, oranges, mushrooms, and carrots even in the dead of winter. Clothing and technological gadgets bursting from the doors of hundreds of stores faster than we can keep up with.

We live in a world of wealth. Even when times are tough – like now – we are still surrounded by a glut of … stuff, and what’s amazing is that we can scarcely begin to conceive of our privilege.

Did you know, for example, that bring in just $35,000 per year puts you in the top 50% of earners in this country … the top 5% if you go global. And that leaves out the whole question of wealth and access to resources. The United States tops most of the lists for resource consumption; we are way ahead of everyone else in energy use per person. On top of that, the average American eats over 3,800 calories per day while a large portion of the world’s population is only gets around 900 – ¼ of that amount. (It’s actually a luxury to have to watch our weigh however much of a burden it seems to be.)


There are a lot of other statistics that I could throw out, but I won’t … partly because this isn’t a class on global inequality or economics, and partly because I don’t think it’s all that helpful to fill our heads with numbers that don’t connect to our lives. We all have roofs over your heads, enough food to eat, and safe water to drink. Most of us have a bedroom of your own (at least when children haven’t invaded it), and our difficult decisions have to do with whether to buy organic or how to lower our phone and cable bills or how much we can afford to give.

We are all incredibly blessed to have so much, and when we stop to think about it, we know that. Much of the time, though, we don’t stop to think. We see so much more around us, and we get caught up in the struggle to get some of it for ourselves. We spend our time working and saving and running from place to place, getting things, getting things done, and getting our kids and ourselves from one appointment to another. And we fall into bed at night, exhausted and thinking of everything that we didn’t get done. And high up on that list, though if you’re like me you hardly ever even notice it ... high up on that list, in tiny letters is, “Spend time with God.”

And that that is exactly the reason why we need to do Lent. We need a season of repentance – a season when we pay attention on “spending time with God.” We need to repent of our overzealous focus on us … on doing so much … on getting more. We need to clear out the abundance of “stuff” that gets in the way and take time … make time and space … for God.


One of my earliest memories of faith – I’m not talking about church or religion here, but faith – one of my earliest memories is of my mother fasting for Lent. This wasn’t giving up coffee or chocolate or some other habit. This was a real Lenten fast. The water and juice kind. The 40 day kind. And the reason it sticks with me is that one day as we were on the way to do the shopping, she pulled over the car, opened the door, and vomited which freaked my twelve-year-old self and my younger brothers out. Then she calmly closed the door, took a drink of water, and pulled back out onto the road.

She talked with us about it, of course. She had one son in hysterical tears and two others on the verge. So, she had to say something, but I don’t remember what it was. Ultimately, I think it was the way she went back to normal life that calmed us down. But, I also remember that she didn’t stop her fasting. I didn’t understand that. It was inconceivable to me that someone would do what she was doing on purpose. Years later, though, I can appreciate the conviction that was behind her fasting, and her example has taught me the value of clearing space in my life, from time to time, to reassess who and where I am and who and where I want to be.


And so, every year, Carrie and I talk about giving up something for Lent in addition to our traditional vices of chocolate and coffee …something like judgmentalism or mean-spirited comments or holding grudges and replacing it with a spiritual practice like forgiveness or prayer in the hope that our fast will revitalize our spiritual lives and reshape our daily living so that we come closer to the ideals that we believe in. But there are two ways to go approach that process. You can start from the abstract spiritual side and try to shape your life that way. Or, you can start by changing your lifestyle and let that shape your spiritual journey.

This year, we are inviting you to take the second path. For the next six weeks, we will be focusing on one specific and concrete area of our lives - food, media, waste, spending, and possessions - and working to wash away our habits of excess and make room for God to reshape us in preparation for receiving the blessing of new life in the resurrection of Christ.

As we begin the journey, I invite you to spend a few moments in silent meditation on what concrete things may be taking up the God-space in your lives and then join me in hymn #46 in the Sing the Journey song books as we begin our ritual of confession and forgiveness.


Hymn “O breath on me, O breath of God” STJ #46

Ritual of Confession
Will you pray with me…?

Eternal and most merciful God, we are children of dust and unworthy of favors and goodness you shower upon us. We have not loved as you have loved us, nor have we lived as we ought, and our years are soon gone. God, have mercy upon us. Lift us above every past regret and present failure; reveal to us our true selves; and give us grace to accept your mercy and courage to live by your promise. Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us your peace. We have no other hope save in you. AMEN.

Scripture - Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Leader: Ashes are a symbol of repentance and purification. As a fire burns, it can separate what is valuable from what is valueless, just as an assayer’s fire can separate a base metal from one that is precious. In this same way, these ashes are pure. They are a symbol of the new space that is now present within us for a new life. Let us claim the new life Jesus offers us by praying to our God:

All: God of love and mercy,
we come to you in prayer, seeking to change our hearts and minds.
We confess the baggage of business, idols, and indulgence
that we so often drag along with us,
struggling under its weight as we attempt to follow Christ.
Cleanse us from our attachment to these old things.
Burn away their power in us and purify our hearts.
In place of old ways fill us with the new fire of your Holy Spirit.
Open up new opportunities for us to follow Jesus in loving you and our neighbors.
In Jesus’ name we ask these things. AMEN.

Leader: Friends, receive the good news of our faith, for in the name of Jesus, I announce that our sins are forgiven. The old has died. Behold, the new has come!

Leader: Those who wish, now come forward and receive the mark of these ashes as a sign of your forgiveness and new life.