BOASTING OF OUR SHIPWRECKS

A Sermon for
Ash Wednesday
February 6, 2008
Pastor Laura Gentry

II Corinthians
11:21-31
But whatever anyone dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that.
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I am talking like a madman—I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters;in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. And, besides other things, I am under daily pressure because of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I am not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus (blessed be he forever!) (NRSV)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Tonight marks the start of our Lenten season, you will soon be invited to come forward to receive the cross of ashes upon your forehead with those hard-hitting words “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” We are dust.

For our second reading tonight, we heard the dramatic plea from Saint Paul written in Second Corinthians about boasting. Boasting, he says, is quite easy to do. He especially was one who could have boasted in his accomplishments. He had absolutely the right spiritual pedigree to proclaim himself righteous. He could have bragged and bragged about it.

But instead, Paul goes into a long list of his horrible moments. He tells us of his labors, his imprisonments, the countless floggings he’s endured, and his near death experiences. He brags of times he was beaten with rods, given lashings, stonings, and yes, even 3 shipwrecks. He emphasizes all the danger and trouble he’s been through—even nakedness! Ultimately, he’s making the point that he is weak. Both his own weakness and the weakness brought about by the cruel world have battered this man down.

He does not despair, however, he boasts. He boasts in his weaknesses and invites us to do the same. Yes, our weaknesses!

When have we had horrible moments? I doubt any of us can top Paul. Perhaps we’ve been through times, though, when just about everything went wrong. I am doubtful that any of us have been literally shipwrecked—let alone 3 times like Paul. But I’m sure we’ve had devastating situations that we might deem shipwrecks. Maybe we’ve had an illness, maybe a break up in an important and vital relationship, maybe financial hardship or a crisis of another kind. It’s a dreadful thing to have a shipwreck.

Yet Paul tells us that it’s okay to be broken and beat up by life. It’s okay to have been shipwrecked. In fact, it is these very shipwrecks that draw us near to God. It is only then, when we are at the bottom, that we can admit to ourselves that we are merely dust, heading for dust again. It is only then that we can confess our sinfulness. It is only then that we can truly grasp our deep need for God and begin to turn back towards our Creator, seeking redemption.

This Lent, we are invited to engage in an emphasis on prayer. Because we are shipwrecked souls, ash in need of redemption, we cry out to God.
But it is not simply our own doing. We pray because the Spirit woos us into prayer. The Spirit wants us to connect with God, to open our hearts and to pray. Martin Luther explained that our faith is always a result of the Spirit. In the catechism, he wrote:

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit calls me by the gospel, enlightens me with God’s gifts, makes me holy and keeps me in the true faith.

Because of the Spirit’s work within us, we thirst for God. Our hearts are restless and search for God. We know that we cannot live without the Grace of God holding onto us.

During these 40 days of Lent, we engage in an intentional repentance, an intentional turning to God for redemption. And prayer is a marvelous way for us to do this.

How much are you praying now? What are the obstacles in your life to prayer? For example, you are busy and can’t seem to fit prayer into your schedule or you pray at bedtime and fall asleep before you can pray very long. Maybe you just don’t feel equipped to pray because you have never learned much on the subject. Whatever our obstacles, Lent is a time to face them head-on. We can’t afford to let them stand in our way. These are our souls we’re talking about and they need to connect with God.

So what if we’ve failed along our journey? So what if we’ve made some poor choices and been hurtful? So what if we’ve been shipwrecked? We boast in these things because it opens us up, it invites God to stoop down and breathe life back into our broken and tattered selves. How much healing and life awaits us! How much joy and peace! Let us not neglect to take up our spiritual disciplines this season and to pray with all our hearts that we may be one with God. Amen.
Now, may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

© 2008 Laura E. Gentry