Bishop Miller Musings: Ash Wednesday

This Lent, I decided to read our lectionary alongside the Lord’s Prayer, specifically using Martin Luther’s Small Catechism to enlighten the readings. As I started this exercise, I was surprised how I could use each part of the prayer sequentially for each set of readings.

Ash Wednesday

Hallowed be your name.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, instructs the people how to give alms, pray, and fast—not as the hypocrites, who seek recognition from others of their great piety, but with humility: “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Instead, he tells them, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” What, we might ask, besides giving, praying, and fasting in secret, will store up treasures in heaven?

Perhaps St Paul can enlighten us further. He writes to the Corinthians, “Be reconciled to God.” This reconciliation, however, seems to come not by any action on our part; rather it comes from Christ being made “to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Paul seems to be calling on us to live into the reconciliation Christ gives.

Be reconciled to God, who alone is holy, simply means that God’s holiness becomes evident in us, in the Church. As Luther explains in the Small Catechism, that holiness comes through the teaching of God’s word that leads to holy living. For God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

O God, whose name is holy in itself, we pray that it may also become holy in and among us. To this end help us, dear Father in heaven, so that your word is taught clearly and purely and we, your children, live holy lives according to it. (prayer based on Luther’s Small Catechism)