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Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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If we venture into our kitchens this morning and do a “head-count” of all our dishes, we may find we have a few imperfect sets.
7 dinner plates, 5 saucers, 9 glasses, 3 soup bowls. But why?
Incomplete sets are the mark of a “lived-in” kitchen. Many of us have children or grandchildren running around. I myself am clumsy from time to time.
Maybe a bowl fell off the counter last week; a glass broke in the dishwasher; a wet plate slid from our hands.
What do we do when a dish breaks?
We sweep it into the garbage.
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That’s how we deal with most things when they’re broken.
That space heater that fizzled out this winter; that wobbly wooden chair; that old couch the kids jumped on just one too many times.
Toss it. Drag it out to the curb. Throw it in the dumpster.
But what about a broken heart? A weak marriage? A fractured friendship? A crumbling relationship with God?
Are we to be disposed of like a broken bowl?
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The Japanese have a fascinating custom called Kintsugi.
When a bowl is broken, they don’t throw it away; rather, they piece it back together using glue and gold.
They say that breakage and repair are all part of the history of that object. The focus is not on how the object broke, but that it was restored.
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Haven’t we all been broken like a bowl at some point in our lives?
We’ve been diagnosed with cancer; we’ve struggled with addiction; we’ve lost our job, our home, our marriage, or even a child.
Life has a way of breaking us.
But broken hearts – and by extension, broken lives – can be put back together. That’s what our faith – and forgiveness – is all about.
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Throughout the Gospels, Jesus seeks out the sinful, the sorrowful, the possessed – and he heals them.
“For I did not come to call the righteous,” he says, “but sinners.” The broken ones.
Ask any of those healed, Jesus has a way of filling those cracks and chips in our lives with the golden glue of his mercy.
In that sense, the Lord is the ultimate Kintsugi artist. He can piece anyone back together, no matter how much damage has occurred.
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Where are the cracks in my own life or spirit? Where do I need to be forgiven? Pieced back together?
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Often people associate Ash Wednesday with the passage of time; with death.
But it’s about much more than that. It’s about new beginnings; forgiveness; restoration; resurrection.
As you come forth to have ashes traced on your forehead, remember these words: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
Turn to the Lord, trusting that he can – and will – piece us all back together, because no life, no circumstance, no person is disposable in the eyes of God.
Spiritually, we’re all a composite of gold and glue. Those cracks in our lives – and the healing that takes place – are all part of our story.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.
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Image credits: (1) USA Today (2) LinkedIn (3) Walk on Water