Sermon Snippet – Ashes to Ashes; Beauty for Ashes
INTRODUCTION – Ash Wednesday is the first day of lent, the forty days before Easter. The day itself was recognized in the 600’s, but the practice of placing ashes on the forehead began in the 700’s. The use of ashes is symbolic of mourning for sin. Such penitence is seen in Genesis 18:27 and Job 42:6, to name just two examples. The words associated with the placement of the ashes – “Remember, man, that thou art dust and to dust shalt thou return” – echo Genesis 3:19. As we would expect, the poet-prophet Isaiah also employs the imagery of ashes.
1. WE ARE WARNED OF THE DANGERS OF IDOLATRY
Isaiah 44:9-20 is a devastating critique of the form of idolatry prevalent during that period. Especially relevant to our discussion are verses 18-20. Here, the prophet satirizes – really, lampoons – the false gods of that time. The same piece of wood that is used for a fire is also carved into an idol! How silly it is to think that a shaped wooden object is anything special when the rest of it is reduced to “ashes”! “He feedeth on ashes” (verse 20) is literally “he herds ashes,” an inane activity. What good is this burnt residue? It is easy to cavalierly dismiss the subject of idolatry, but one fine Biblical scholar well summarizes the present dangers of modern idolatry: “Any part of a person’s heart can be captured by something that God made instead of God Himself. In any era, this equals idolatry.” The specific injunctions in the New Testament (including I Corinthians 10:14, Galatians 5:20, and Colossians 3:5) are directly applicable. A wise person acknowledges the presence of idolatry and carefully assesses the possible impact that it may have on daily life.
2. WE ARE INSTRUCTED IN THE PERNICIOUSNESS OF PRIDE
Even when we are doing the right thing, we can perform it in the wrong way. Isaiah 58 contrasts between right and wrong worship, specifically fasting (which is the original purpose of Lent). Fasting is Scriptural, but verse 5 indicates that all of the “ashes” in the world do not make a fast “acceptable” worship. When our worship becomes a ritual, it is not pleasing to God. Verses 6 and 7 both speak of the changes in attitude and behavior that fasting should lead to. The negative example of the fasting of the Pharisees (Matthew 6:16-18) teaches us that our heart condition is more important than man’s admiration. Pride focuses our attention on what we are doing; God instead directs our attention to what He wants us to be doing. The two are not always the same!
3. HOWEVER, OUR SAVIOR GOD WILL TRANSFORM OUR ASHES INTO HIS BEAUTY
Isaiah 61:1-3 is Messianic, describing the ministry of the Savior, Jesus Christ (Luke 4:18-19). The lovely expression “beauty for ashes” reveals the transformative power of Jesus. His “beauty” is not physical (Isaiah 53:2); He could have come to us as the most handsome person who ever lived, but He did not. Obviously, then, physical beauty is not important to God. Rather, His “beauty” is a moral attractiveness that draws us to Him and to a desire to be more like Him. Yes, we can fail in many ways (including in idolatry and in pride), but our Jesus takes the ashes of our failures and begins to build something beautiful. Instead of “ashes,” we are called “trees of righteousness.” We are spiritually alive, and we are growing. Each day, we can become better people; every day, we can become more like Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION -Without Jesus as Savior, all we ultimately have are ashes to ashes and dust to dust. With Jesus, we have His beauty in place of our ashes. Each one of us needs Him as personal Savior; He is drawing us to His cross and to His salvation. Please trust in Him today. Then, let us marvel in His full forgiveness and in His continuing solicitous work to make us spiritually attractive.