The psalm is Psalm 51:1-17
The holy gospel according to Matthew (6:1-6, 16-21)
Jesus
said:
“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.
2“So
whenever you give alms,
do
not sound a trumpet before you,
as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets,
so
that they may be praised by others.
Truly
I tell you,
they
have received their reward.
3But
when you give alms,
do
not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4so
that your alms may be done in secret;
and
your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5“And
whenever you pray,
do
not be like the hypocrites;
for
they love to stand and pray
in
the synagogues and at the street corners,
so
that they may be seen by others.
Truly
I tell you,
they
have received their reward.
6But
whenever you pray,
go
into your room and shut the door
and
pray to your Father who is in secret;
and
your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16“And
whenever you fast,
do
not look dismal, like the hypocrites,
for
they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting.
Truly
I tell you,
they
have received their reward.
17But
when you fast,
put
oil on your head and wash your face,
18so
that your fasting may be seen
not
by others but by your Father who is in secret;
and
your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19“Do
not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where
moth and rust consume
and
where thieves break in and steal;
20but
store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven,
where
neither moth nor rust consumes
and
where thieves do not break in and steal.
21For
where your treasure is,
there
your heart will be also.
The gospel of the lord.
-----
Today’s readings and, indeed today as a whole, are full of
contradictions. On Ash Wednesday
we mark our foreheads with ashes.
We remind ourselves and each other of our mortality—that we are dust and
to dust we shall return. Even as we are clearly alive and trust
in God’s promise of everlasting life, we are dust and to dust we shall return.
In our readings, we vary between Joel’s call for an
assembly, repentance and sacrifice to God, the psalmist’s declaration that God
cares about our hearts—our whole beings—rather than burnt offerings, and Jesus’
warnings against being like the hypocrites, who make a scene when giving
offerings and alms.
What I realized with Jesus’ warnings in the gospel is that
he’s not talking about what we do so much as why we do it. Sometimes I think we take this passage
a little too much at face value, a little too literally. Jesus gives different examples for what
he’s talking about—giving alms, praying, and fasting—and each example is
different, but the hypocrites’
motivation is the same. So
much so, that if we’d had a couple more examples, we could’ve gotten a rousing refrain
going.
Each time Jesus warns against hypocrites who give alms,
pray, and fast very publicly it’s “so that they may be seen by others.” God is not the focus of their prayers
and from the description I actually wonder if they’re thinking about God at
all. They give alms, pray, and
fast so that others will see and think highly of them.
Now, we spent Epiphany praying on street corners, in our
places of worship, and throughout the community as well. The irony of Jesus’ words today is not
lost on me J But the goal of our praying was to look
for God at work and to learn a bit more about the community and where God might
be calling us. To open us up to
God in the midst of ordinariness.
…And maybe I was also curious what might happen if someone did notice
you and ask what you were doing.
But really, when we give alms, pray, or fast, the goal is
not to look good for others—to show off.
The goal is, as today’s psalm states, to open ourselves to God that God
would put a new and right spirit within us. Giving alms—giving money in offering—gives us power over our
hearts. As Jesus promises, where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Our offerings bring our hearts back to this place and our
money for ministry and mission bring our collective heart to the body of Christ
and to the community.
Praying cultivates openness to God. Pausing to spend time intentionally
with God in prayer—whatever that may look like—takes us out of the busy-ness
that can overwhelm or distract us.
As we breathe, the Holy Spirit breathes through us.
Similarly, fasting refocuses our hunger for God and deepens
our empathy for those who hunger without the means or access to satisfy their
hunger. Each of these practices
are intended to draw us closer to God and in so doing, draw us more deeply into
God’s love for all of creation.
As we journey through Lent we will be traveling from the
dusty desert wilderness to chicken coops, from fig trees to far away lands of famine,
rooms filled with perfume of pure nard, and ultimately we will follow Jesus to
the cross. In the midst of this we
will also be exploring prayer with the Episcopalians, exploring our
relationship with God in new ways.
It is too easy to get caught up with the hypocrites in
thinking there is only one way to be faithful or pray. The reality is, there are many ways to
pray, bowing your head and folding your hands or repeating the Lord’s Prayer
are just a couple examples.
The goal of prayer, and what the hypocrites in today’s
gospel are missing, is to be intentional about time spent with God. Traditionally Lent has been a time to
prepare for baptism or even first communion. It is the time of the church year when we can refocus on our
spiritual life.
Some people do this by fasting—giving up chocolate, food, or
even Facebook—to spend that time, money, and energy reflecting instead on
God. Some people decide to read
the Bible—maybe reading through one of the gospels—during this time. Some decide to pray every day. Some choose an extra way to be in
service or give more money to a church or other organization.
House for All Sinners and Saints, an ELCA congregation in
Denver, Colorado, has a list of different things to do each day of Lent. The list includes praying for enemies,
giving away food cards, and internet dieting, among others.
The goal in each of these opportunities is not to adopt them
all permanently or to show off or brag about your piety, but to explore
different practices and see what resonates with you. Maybe you really liked learning about a saint and want to
learn more, or maybe confessing a secret really lightened the burden you hadn’t
realized was weighing you down.
Each Wednesday we will be experimenting together with prayer. Maybe one of these new ways to pray will resonate deeply
with you. Even if they don’t,
however, you will have spent intentional time with God in community, which is,
itself, prayer.
That is Jesus’ exhortation in the gospel. To practice your piety, not for others,
but in ways that are meaningful. To
see your own cross marked on your forehead, to remember that you are
dust and to dust you shall return.
Practice your piety to deepen your faith, to strengthen your
relationship with God. Ash
Wednesday is our invitation, as our foreheads are marked with a cross of ash,
Jesus invites us into deeper relationship, into quiet spaces, and sung
praises. Into the grace of God.
This Lent that lies before us is a journey. As we journey together, we know that we
head to the cross. The ashes
marking our foreheads direct us to the death that is no longer the final
word. From dust we are and to dust
we shall return. Yet the crosses
of ash direct us through Jesus’ death on a cross into the hope of new
life—resurrection. As we wait and
wander, Jesus leads us deeper into our faith. Spiritual nourishment is part of the way of the cross. May our journey this year bring you
closer to God, closer to each other, and closer to all of creation.
Amen.
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