Like Ashes... Formed to A Life of Faithful Service

by Sheryl R. Martinez

Scripture Text: Psalm 51:1-17; Romans 12:1

 

Good morning DS Koinonia! I am grateful to God and to the faculty of the Divinity School for giving us this opportunity to preach and share the Word of God not only to our fellow students but in front of our mentors. It has been our joy to share the message of God but at the same time also a trembling experience.

 

Let us pray…

 

A common joke and expression among people today say “abog-abog ra jud ta sa earth ani”. This remark is usually expressed the moment we learn that someone is greater, superior, more talented, more beautiful, or more valued than us. Though it’s a joke, but it expressed a feeling of insignificance compared to others… just like the dust.

 

In the Jewish tradition, covering oneself with dust and ashes on head accompanied by wearing of sackcloth is a customary gesture of intense grief. Also, an expression of deep grief for the sins committed, in which the dust and ashes carries the meaning of deep humility before God.

 

Ash Wednesday is celebrated by most Christians all over the world. Annually, through this celebration, we are reminded that indeed we are just dust... actually, a lifeless dust that was given life only through the breath of the Creator God. And because we are lifeless and insignificant without God’s breath, we are reminded to be humble at all times before God and to the rest of the created beings.

 

However, if we will observe what is happening around us, we can see how people wanted others to be humble. We commend values of humility and yet at times, we view humility not as a strength, but a weakness. In which, admitting fault is viewed as vulnerability against the enemies. Saying sorry becomes the very last resort. And the worst, we justify or deny our wrong doings, or we become an accomplice of other’s justification and denial of wrong doings. How it is really to be humble?

 

 

BODY

 

Psalm 51 or the Prayer for Cleansing and Pardon is an example of a lament psalm of David. This Psalm was written after Nathan confronted David of his sin concerning his murder of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba. King David, being the person of authority and with highest position in Israel, lives up to his title “the man after God’s own heart”. We might ask, why the title when King David is a sinful man who committed grave crimes? King David’s character of utmost humility, [I suppose], is what earned him such title. Psalm 51 revealed the kind of humility King David have in front of God and of his best friend Nathan. Looking closely to the Psalm, we can observe how David’s act of humility progressed and unfolded into something that glorifies God.

 

After Nathan confronted David of his sin, in humility David expressed RESIGNATION to God – a complete surrender and submission to God’s reality as expressed in verses 1-5. Without denial, David expressed “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me”. David resigned to the fact that though he is king, God is above him and far more powerful and great than him. He plead for God’s mercy and grace not only because he knew that God is merciful and gracious, but because he knew that what he did is unforgivable, and only thru God’s mercy and grace, that he can be spared from the ultimate punishment of his crime. David knew the measure of his sin, and acknowledge that only God can thoroughly erase it. Not through an act of animal sacrifices and offerings, but only through God’s abundant mercy.

 

It takes utmost humility to honestly admit a sin. And it also takes utmost humility to acknowledge that we cannot do anything without the grace and mercy of God in our lives.

 

 

David’s resignation led him to plead for RESTORATION. Verses 6 to 12 narrate David’s humble pleading to God. Verses 10-12 was made into a famous hymn usually sung during confession of sin – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me”. Spiritual cleanliness is given much emphasis in the Torah. In the Jewish law, there are many ways a person can be considered unclean preventing them to participate in acts of worship or to associate with others. Basically, the unclean will be considered cast outs. In the case of this Psalm, David acknowledged his uncleanness because of sin so he plead to God that he will be cleansed, so he will be restored to the presence of God. David lost something big. He lost the joy of being in the presence of God because of his guilt. He lost clear direction that he swayed from the will of God. Now he plead to restore a sustaining willing spirit – a spirit that would guard him from swaying away and giving in repeatedly to temptations.

 

We cannot really experience restoration when we don’t acknowledge that we lost something, or fail to let go of something that burdens us. When we deny that we have done wrong, we cannot receive forgiveness. When we keep the grudge and will not let go, we rob ourselves of God’s peace. When we fail to acknowledge that it is only through God’s mercy and grace that we’re able to get through with life, we continue to feel the pain that we are not blessed. Humility leads to restoration. When we humbly lay down and empty ourselves before God, we will experience God’s restoration of what we have lost because of sin and guilt.

 

Most of the time, our reflection on humility starts with resignation and ends with restoration. But I can still hear David saying “Wait! There’s more…” We might say that verses 13-15 was David’s bargaining agreement with God. But the text expressed David’s confidence on God’s faithfulness for forgiveness and restoration that it urged him to RESPOND. This pattern of resignation, restoration, and response is not limited to the Psalm of David. We can notice this pattern in the Gospel when Jesus restores the sick and the sinful, there is always a response. Our liturgy format also has the same element.

 

Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Romans was considered his most theologically significant epistle because of his discourse of faith. At the beginning of his epistle, Paul spoke about the Gospel, about sin, and about salvation through Jesus Christ. His discourse eventually concluded to a call to respond, in Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”. Apostle Paul was talking to mostly Gentile believers in Rome who does not recognize animal sacrifices as offerings, so presenting the bodies as living sacrifice could mean a different thing. Going back to Psalm 51, David was saying in verse 16 “For you have no delight in sacrifice, if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.” Both King David and Apostle Paul agree on the same thing that the response God wanted was not an animal sacrifice, but a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart – a spirit that is vulnerable and open to fixing, a heart ready to be formed according to God’s will, able to live humbly and faithfully in service to God. Service is a natural response of a humble person who acknowledged forgiveness and restoration. As how it is with the Filipinos, ang mga mapagkumbabang tao ay marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob”. In response to God’s restoration, King David promised to teach the transgressors God’s way, let sinners return to God, live a life of worship, singing aloud and declaring praise to God. Our faithful service is our spiritual worship to God.

 

 

CLOSING

 

I do believe that placing Ash Wednesday as the marker to start the season of Lent is no coincidence. It is a perfect reminder to be humble, as we journey through lent and remember the passion of Jesus Christ. That because of us – creatures made from lifeless ashes; insignificant yet precious to God, the Son has to resign to the will of the Father so we can be restored.

 

We, who are here in the seminary, responded by offering ourselves to be of service in the ministry of Jesus Christ. We submit ourselves to be formed by the mentors so we can be equipped to serve the church. As Ministerial Students, our faithful compliance to the school requirements and taking our study by heart is our humble expression of accountability to the conference and the local church who sent us, a humble expression of gratitude to our parents, guardians, and sponsors who supported us. Sooner or later, we will all be out there in the field as full-fledge pastors. Our faithful planning and conduct for a meaningful worship, crafting of a well-thought liturgy, intentional studying for preaching and teaching, efforts to administer and provide pastoral care for the church, doing these and more, is also our humble acknowledgement to the efforts of all our seminary mentors who faithfully mentored us to equip us for the ministry of Jesus Christ.

 

Above all, our faithful service as a Ministerial Student and soon to be Pastors is our expression of humility to God, not because we are forced or obliged, but because we are grateful, that despite our humanness, our weakness, our sinfulness, we were restored, we were called, we were given the opportunity to serve and lead a church. Certainly, pastoral work is no easy task. In the field there will be real external and internal challenges. As many Pastors would say, “burnout is real!”. But just like David’s confidence in Psalm 51, we also have the confidence of God’s faithfulness, God’s mercy and grace, God’s restoration of joy. And when we feel broken, insignificant and unfit just like the ashes, let us remember, that God did not require a strong spirit and a proud heart for the ministry. But a broken spirit, broken and contrite heart. Just like the ashes, always able, ready, and open to be restored and reformed in God’s hands according to God’s will. Amen.