Ash Wednesday Meditation

You may know that I listen to a lot of country music. One recent song that has come out is 'I want you to love me like my dog does.' In it, the singer laments that his girlfriend does not share the overly optimistic view of him that his dog has. Now, I will not attempt to offer relationship advice, but I will say that dogs are wonderful at giving out love.

I haven't owned a dog in some years, but I will never forget the fact that my dog used to think that it was a miracle that I came home. Every single time. It was like it had won the lottery simply to see my car coming down the driveway. If I ever felt neglected, the best thing in the world to do was to go drive around the block and come home, sure to see a tail wagging in anticipation of my arrival. It's hard for us to match a dog's love. Now that I have cats, there is a very clear distinction. Cats appreciate my existence because they wouldn't get fed otherwise. But as for the cat bothering to stand up when I return home, there's not much chance. Unless it's hungry.

I suspect that part of our amazement with a dog's love is that we're not very comfortable with unconditional love. It doesn't seem natural to us—when we go off to work or school for the day, it seems as though we should have to prove ourselves worthy of a dog's love, when in fact the dog usually pours out its love whether or not you deserve it. We have conditioned ourselves to believe that love is something we earn—part of the aura of Valentine's Day is the line of men standing in the greeting card aisle at 5:15 in any store in the country. These men know that they need a card, or else they will suffer some sort of repercussion, even if it is only embarrassment. We feel as though we need to earn love. And, in some ways, this is good—we are called to live in such a way that makes our beloved love us more. We are to love them selflessly. But we can't forget about unconditional love.

This is the love God gives us. It's the love we would give others if we weren't so sinful, but God doesn't sin, so God doesn't put conditions on his love. He gives it freely to us, offering us all the love we can stomach and more. We don't have to be good people or live good lives—the love is there regardless. God loves us while we are sinners, before we are ever aware of God's love, and so powerfully that nothing can separate us from that love. It's the greatest love ever—the love that sends Christ to the cross to die for your sins 2,000 years before you were born and before you can ever think to ask for a Savior.

There are no conditions for us to earn this love. But it should change the way we live.

And this is the purpose of the Lenten season. Not to begin to live in such a way that we are worthy of God's love, because that isn't possible. The purpose of Lent is that we examine our lives and recognize the areas in our life that are not drawing us closer to God. The purpose of Lent is to examine, to alter, and to be transformed. In a few minutes we'll have an invitation to the discipline of Lent, but I think it's wise to begin with an understanding of God's love—it's a deeper ocean than we can imagine, and we cannot ever find the bottom of God's love--it simply doesn't exist.

Perhaps, in years past, you've entered Lent with the thought that if you change or begin a certain behavior, you'll be more worthy of God's love. Set down that idea. It's not Biblical. God gives God's love freely, without condition. And we can never be worthy of it—Christ alone makes us worthy, because he is worthy. We wander the road of Lent because our lives are meant to be lived as responses to God's love, responses that help us see God's love in the world, in our lives, and help us to be changed by it, rather than simply living in ignorance of it. Our Lenten journey, our preparation for Easter, is to help our lives be in tune with who and how Christ is calling us to be as individuals, as a community. It's about making sure that your life is an accurate reflection of God's selfless and generous love.

So as we enter Lent, may we do so with hearts free of the burden of earning God's love. May we learn to simply accept it, and in so doing, may we be transformed by it.

Let us pray.