Sermon Starters
Ash Wednesday - Year B

#1
Topic: "Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down..."
Texts: All

I grew up with three sisters. One of the games they loved to play 
was jump rope. They would spend all afternoon playing with it, 
singing and saying little rhymes and songs. I do not remember all 
of them, but part of one went like this,

"Ashes, ashes, we call fall down..." 

and then they would kneel to the ground.

Just a children's game? Just a silly song?

Not quite. It has only been recently that I discovered the real 
meaning behind that song (and so many little songs and stories 
children learned had some pretty gloomy meanings). This one 
refers to death, to the fact that we are, in the end, ashes and will 
fall down, will all die.

I'm not sure that's a tune or theme worth skipping too!

In a way, however, it is a tune we sing each Ash Wednesday. 
When the ashes are placed on your forehead tonight, it is a 
reminder that "ashes, ashes, we all fall down," we all are mortal.
The words may be different, "Remember, you are dust and to dust 
you shall return," but the message is the same.

Lent begins by reminding us of our own mortality as we follow the 
footsteps of Jesus to Jerusalem and to Golgotha. Life is a journey 
and a journey has an end. We do not travel forever. One day we 
come to the end of the road. Ash Wednesday reminds us of this 
and to thus travel well and wisely, to make God our ever constant 
and loving companion on this trip, to one another as well.

But ashes is not our end, not our destiny. You will also receive 
tonight the sign of the cross in oil on your forehead. It is a symbol 
of life, of healing and love. For though this Lenten journey leads to 
Golgotha, though it begins with a reminder of our mortality, it does 
not end there. This journey takes us up and over Golgotha to a 
garden bursting forth with a life not even death can take away. 
Yes, ashes, ashes, we all fall down...but we do not stay down. 
Easter, Easter, we all are raised up! 

#2
Topic: Random Acts of Kindness
Text: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Many times at this, the beginning of Lent, we are challenged to 
give something up. The usual joke is, "Yeah, I'm giving up liver 
for Lent." 

What you giving up for Lent?

Your favorite desert? Skipping a meal? Fasting once day a week?

Let me ask you a very different question, "What you going to take 
up for Lent?" 

The Gospel lesson today suggests, to me, something we should 
take up, not give up - almsgiving. That, of course, refers to the 
practice of giving money to the poor and needy. That's certainly 
something well worth taking up for Lent. But I think it means more 
than this. It means engaging in random acts of kindness whenever 
and whoever we get the chance.

How about that for Lent? 

Tolstoy, the great Russian writer, was passing along a street one 
day when a beggar stopped him, pleading for alms. The great 
Russian searched through his pockets for a coin, but finding none, 
he regretfully said, "Please don't be angry with me, my brother. I 
have nothing with me. If I did I would gladly give it to you." The 
beggar's face lit up, and he said, "You have given me more than I 
asked for. You have called me brother."

This Lent let us take up something - acts of kindness, of 
encouragement, of love and compassion in our homes, on our jobs, 
to our neighbors, anywhere and everywhere we see a need. In so 
doing, in so giving we follow in the steps of Jesus this Lent, who 
with every step toward Jerusalem was rendering his life for us and 
the world. 

#3
Topic: Spring Training
Text: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

If you are a baseball fan, you know that spring training has already 
begin for the baseball teams. Lots of them go to Florida or other 
places where they can get back into shape. A friend of mine just 
wrote me and told me he's watching the teams work out.

Spring training comes after the months when the season is over. 
It's a time for getting back into good physical shape, honing your 
baseball skills, and there are all kinds of exercises and activities to
help the players do just that. For they have to be ready when the 
season begins.

In a way, Lent is our kind of spiritual spring training. It's that time 
we seek to get in better spiritual shape for the journey with Jesus to 
Jerusalem, to the cross, and on to Easter.

The church has traditional offered us many disciplines or exercises 
to help us get ready: almsgiving, prayer, fasting, Bible reading, 
worship, journaling, etc.

(I would spend the rest of the sermon talking about these 
disciplines for our spiritual spring training and encourage them to 
take on at least one of them during the 40 days of Lent. You may 
wish to provide them materials to help do this, is fasting, for 
example, steps for fasting; or for daily Bible reading, provide them 
with those, etc).

Tonight really is the first spring training session for us. It begins 
with the receiving of ashes, with repentance, with a new 
commitment to our walk with God.

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