Devotion

Setting

Ash Wednesday, the commencement of Lent. We are now journeying with Christ toward his death and resurrection.

Our new preaching series. The Christ’s Death for Us. Exploring why and how his death makes a difference for us.

Today’s lesson and sermon are an invitation to this journey.

Context

Our reading tonight comes from Matthew chapter 6. A large crowd has begun to follow Jesus. He has gone up on to a mountain to teach them, beginning with his famed Sermon on the Mount. In the course of the sermon Jesus teaches them how to perform the three pillars of personal spiritual growth: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.

Matthew 6:1–18 ESV

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when 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. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Prayer of Illumination

Prepare our hearts, O God, to accept your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own, that, hearing, we may also obey your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

I read a psychologist who said that this can be a very stressful problem. Key area of stress: Worry over what other people think of us. Crave the positive assessment of others (approval), dread negative assessment (shame). As a way to deal with this stress he suggested ranking the importance of the opinions over which we worry. Important: Loved ones, spouse, family members. Second importance: Boss and colleagues. Little importance: Acquaintances. Strangers.

That made sense to me. Then I noticed someone was missing from the list: God. True, God offers unconditional love. But, that is God’s side of the equation. What about my side: Do I ever worry more over how God sees me than what others think?

Exegesis 1: Religion for Show

Like us, the people of the first century wanted to be thought well of. Some of the ways to do that was to be a moral, generous, sincere, spiritual person.

In their day there were customary behaviors that expressed those virtues.

Giving - tithes and alms (offerings). Law of Moses: remember the poor, the orphan, and the widow.

Praying - speaking to God. Publicly, daily, sabbath.

Fasting - Abstaining from food. individually and communally, times of repentance, to cultivate hunger for righteousness. Law: Man does not live by bread alone.

Jesus expects his disciples will do these things. “WHEN” you do these things. They are good things. God approved ways to show love of God and love of neighbor.

Jesus offers a warning to his disciples: be careful that you don’t do these things TO BE ADMIRED BY OTHER PEOPLE.

If you are doing it to be admired by people, then you are being a hypocrite.

The Greek word translated “hypocrite” means actor. Someone who is on stage pretending to be something he is not.

Acts of love, actually acts of manipulation to make others admire you.

Jesus says, don’t put on an act. Really hands it to the clergy of the day:

Giving - and sounding a trumpet - look how generous I am.

Not charity, a charade.

Praying elaborate, showy prayers.

That is not prayer, it is pretense.

Disfiguring their faces and appearance when fasting.

Not a fast, a facade.

Jesus warns them against all that: If your goal is to impress other people, then when/if they are impressed then you have gotten what you wanted…and that is all you have gotten. God is not impressed. None of it was done for God.

Implication 1

We don’t live in a time when people will admire us for being religious, per se. But people today, I think, still admire generosity, self-discipline, and a moral-spiritual outook on life.

Lent is a time for us when we re-embrace these deeper dimensions of life, traditionally through prayer, worship, fasting and giving.

Go to church more. Go to fish-fries. Extra money in the plate or to a charity. Give something up.

BUT we do not do these things because it is tradition, it is not something we HAVE to do to fit in with our church. We don’t do them to show off to non-religious friends, not even for good reasons like to witness to them. (If that would work)

But because they are truly expressions of love for God and love for neighbor.

Checking our motivation:

Tithe: I really am grateful and depend on GOd.

Pray: I really trusting in God, so engaging in prayer;

Purity: I fast because really interested in strengthening the spirit against the flesh and so fasting.

Just appear to others to be serious about God, but to actually be serious about God whether anyone else knows.

Exegesis 2: Religion in secret

According to Jesus, genuine religion can be very subtle. He tells his disciples:

Giving. One hand ignorant of the other.

Praying. Behind a closed door. Storeroom, closet.

Fasting. Anoint self. Wash face. Comb hair. Dress nice. Ready to face the world.

In other words: Do the exact opposite of calling attention to your religious gesture.

His rationale: If the action is hidden from human eyes, then there is no doubt about who the action is for. It’s not to impress other people. No one else can see it. It’s not about winning their praise, because how can they praise you for what they don’t know about.

“Other people” have been taken out of the equation and Someone else has been put in the center: God.

God, Your Heavenly Father, is in the secret place. (4, 6, 18)

The Father sees what is done secretly

When giving, though no one else sees, he sees. (Example of the widow’s mite.)

When praying, no one hears you, he hears you.

When fasting, no one knows, he knows.

God is often described in the Bible as the one who values what is done in secret.

Psalm 51:6, Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Implication 2

Who you are is how you behave when no one else is looking.

Our minds often go right to our faults.

But it is also true that many of our best qualities are unseen or unrecognized by others.

We give our time, but no we don’t get any credit. We do a task, no one says thank you. Example: Dao working in the garage, making me a breakfast, etc. Ministry team: set up the room.

This could cause us to despair or give up. What’s the point, if no one is going to notice. Why be a good person in secret.

God sees and knows.

Prayer in your inner room = sitting at your cubicle. God hears.

Fasting = In the middle of taking the kids out to play. God knows your effort.

Giving = anonymous check or a donation at the mission. God says, you’ve done it for me.

Our secret, inward, genuine, efforts are known by God and that means they are important. They are important to God and therefore to us.

Exegesis 3: The Secret Reward

The Father will reward you. (4, 6, 18)

Jesus tells his listeners that when they take secret actions, God will reward.

not necessarily secret

The reward of God’s approval and assistance.

The prophet Isaiah extolled the benefits that result from pleasing God.

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

when a mans ways are pleasing to the Lord, the Lord makes even his enemies be at peace with him.

JESUS not only taught this, but he role-modeled it. He went to his cross without the approval of anyone around him. They shamed.

But god approved of him. His reward at first secret, was then revealed for all: His resurrection. A NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES!

Implication 3

Jesus reminds us in Lent that divine approval is the most important.

it is eternal.

Gods approval , not be not ashamed.

we want the reward: a name given by God in glory.

So, we embrace the spiritual call and we fast, pray, we worship, we give, so that we can open ourselves to the reward of a deeper relationship with God.

Give up, add in, personal!

Conclusion

We worry so much over what other people think.

A great source of stress.

A great source of peace is to focus on what God thinks. If we become who God is calling us to be, then our reward, our approval is sure.

Prayer of Intercession

Let us pray for the needs of the world, saying, Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Holy God, as the Ordinary season now turns to Lent, we pray that you will guide us in the days ahead. As we journey with Jesus Christ, give us an abiding sense of your presence, an unguarded sense of ourselves, and an awareness of the needs of this world. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving God, as we are marked with the ashes of earth, we bring before you the frailty of our very human lives: the fragility of our health, the tenuousness of our accomplishments and plans, the changing nature of even our closest relationships. Grant us patience in suffering and healing from our ills. Give us, in equal measure, humility and hope in our pursuits. Bind us in covenantal love that is both constant yet able to change according to the needs and circumstances before us. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Just God, you call us to loosen the bonds of injustice, to care for those in need, to lift the burdens that bind others. We ask you to increase our courage and our will to work for the freedom and peace you envision and demand. We pray for an end to warfare and conflict, accepting our calling to be peacemakers. We pray for an end to hunger and homelessness, knowing we are called to share our bread and to open our doors. We pray for an end to false righteousness, evil speech, and shallow piety in our lives, in the church, in our national life, and among all the nations. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Forever God, we pray that your kingdom will come in fullness; that what is perishable will be raised imperishable; and that death itself will be swallowed up in victory; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Charge

Practice your piety not before others, but before God. Give generously, but quietly; pray constantly, but confidentially; fast with gratitude to God; and store up that which is in your heart; for it cannot be taken from you.

Benediction

The blessing of God, who hears when you call; the grace of Christ, who reconciles you; the power of the Holy Spirit, who sustains you; remain with you in these Lenten days and for all your days, and forevermore.

CS Lewis wrote: Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. - C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory: And Other Addresses (New York: HarperOne, 2001), 26.

Example: Going back through old pictures recently as part of the unpacking process.

In my life I’ve projected many self-images. Self image: a combination of how I dressed, wore my hair, words I used, things I did, to signal to other people who I am.

Child: favorite super-hero, Spider-man, Luke Skywalker. Bell bottoms.

Teen ager: 80s parachute pants. Popped collar polo shirt. Weird hair.

Young adult: military uniform, regulation cut. Squared away. Or a business suit.

Even now — pastoral appearance.

You’ve got your own images: professional, the student, the hard worker....

Our projected self-images are all a way to say to others, this is who I am and this is what I want you to recognize about me.