Homily, Spring Cleaning
Ash Wednesday, 2025
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL
The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF
Today’s Lectionary Readings:
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The tradition of Spring Cleaning has been around for a long time. Some say it goes back to the ancient celebration of the Persian New Year which is on the first day of spring. Some say it goes back to the ancient Hebrews who rid their homes of leavened and fermented goods in preparation for the passover. Some say it comes to us from the north where after the long, dark winters the windows were finally opened to let the sunshine and fresh air in. Whatever the case, the practice of some kind of deep cleaning in the season of spring has been around for a long time.
The season of spring is quickly approaching, if it is not already here. I wonder if any of you have any spring cleaning traditions or memories of spring cleaning growing up.
In my family we have a long and deep tradition of rearranging the furniture. My grandma would do it, often to the annoyance of my papa. My mom would do it. I’d come home from school and the whole house would be different. And I do it.
I can remember as a kid my mom asking me to clean my room and she’d come by three hours later only to see what looked like the aftermath of a tornado! The bed was pulled out, my desk was in the middle of the room. Dresser drawers and their contents were sprawled across the floor. But in the end (maybe a few hours or days later), the room always ended up spotless. With everything nice and organized in its new place.
You know, sometimes in order to really clean we have to make a mess. That’s really what spring cleaning is, isn’t it? Making messes so that we can clean.
Because in our everyday lives we do light cleaning. What my family calls “straightening up.” We wipe the counters. Sweep the floor. Do the dishes. We like to keep everything looking nice, but the real dirt is hidden in the corners of the house. Under the furniture. Behind the refrigerator. On top of the cabinets. So when we spring clean, or deep clean, we first make a mess in order to get to the real dirt. We pull out the refrigerator. We move the furniture. We bring out the ladder to get to those hard to reach places. There comes a point in spring cleaning when everything looks messier than before, but in the end, everything finds it’s place again, and it will be spotless.
The same is true in our spiritual lives.
We often do some “straightening up.” We go to church. Say a few prayers. Perhaps read some Scripture. But the real work is in the corners of our hearts. The places we sometimes ignore or don’t see. And so every once in a while we need to move the furniture, pull out the refrigerator, get out the ladders to do the hard work of spiritual spring cleaning.
And just like in our houses, sometimes in our hearts things feel messier than before. We unearth things like pain, grief, bad habits, addictions. But in recognizing and acknowledging these things, slowly we’re able to put things back where they go and find ourselves clean again.
And so it is for this reason that every year we embark upon a 40 day journey with Jesus to the cross and the empty tomb. It is for this reason that we gather today on Ash Wednesday to begin the season of Lent.
In our first reading from the book of Joel there is a curious little phrase, “rend your hearts and not your clothing.” The word ‘rend’ means, “To pull apart”. The prophet says to the people, “Pull apart your hearts, and return to the Lord. With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. Pull apart your hearts. Because sometimes the only path to healing is through brokenness. Sometimes the only path to cleaning is through messiness. To pull apart our hearts, then, is to examine our lives and our relationship with God. To see where we are missing something. To acknowledge where we have fallen short. To notice the places that we have not allowed love to wash over.
The purpose of Lent is not to pull ourselves apart for the sake of self-hatred or self-flagellation or the romanticization of suffering. We pull apart our hearts so that God may put them back together again. The truth is, our hearts are already broken. We carry within us so much pain and suffering. To rend our hearts, then, is to put down our coping mechanisms and masks for a while and to instead let the light of God’s grace and love touch the places within us that need healing.
I wonder what is hidden in the corners of your heart? I wonder what you’ve been sweeping around for years or decades without noticing? Perhaps it is a fear. Or an addiction. Or a grudge. Or a wound. Or an idol. Or anger. What will your fasting, self-denial, and prayer look like this Lent to allow God’s light to shine in those places? What practices are you committing to for the next forty days in this season of deep spiritual cleaning? As you decide, let those be your guiding questions. Don’t pick something to fast from just because it is easy or because it is what someone told you to do. Pick something that will open your heart to the love of God, even if the opening up is a little painful.
In a few moments I will read you an invitation to a Holy Lent. The word Lent, comes from the Old English word, Lencten, which means “spring.” And the word “holy”, in the Hebrew tradition is closely associated with the image of being pure or clean. And so the phrase, “Holy Lent” is essentially a synonym for “spring cleaning.”
I invite you then this morning/afternoon to a spiritual spring cleaning. The work may be hard. And it may at first make a mess. But when Easter comes, we’ll rejoice in Christ’s resurrection with pure and holy hearts, shining bright with the light of God. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
- Are there any hidden fears or hurts that I have been avoiding, and how might I confront them during this Lenten season?
- What specific practices of fasting, prayer, or self-denial can I commit to this Lent that will help me open my heart to God’s love?
- How can embracing the messiness of spiritual spring cleaning lead me to a deeper understanding of my faith and relationship with God?
Thoughts on Faith 