Authentic Righteousness

Context First Reading

God instructs Isaiah to preach to the Jews that although they are fulfilling their religious obligations, they are in danger of forfeiting his richest blessings because their deeds are not matched by genuineness of heart.

Isaiah 58:1–12 NRSV

Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? 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. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

Context Second Reading

Jesus instructs his disciples to practice the religious disciplines of generosity, praying, and fasting not to win the approval of people, but in sincerity before God.

Matthew 6:1–6 NRSV

“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. “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. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “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. But 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.

Matthew 6:16–21 NRSV

“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. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so 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. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Prayer of Illumination

Merciful God, your word is our way of truth and life. Create in us hearts that are clean and put your Holy Spirit within us, so that we may receive your grace and declare your praise forever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

AI, avatars, app handles, VR, social profile, fake news

We long for real, genuine.

So is God. That is what lent invited us to.

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, community minded, religious 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; Love the Lord your God.

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. They are good things. God approved.

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 wearing a mask and pretending to be something he is not.

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. God doesn’t want us to pretend to be religious, but to actually be religious.

Implication 1: Religion that Connects

Religion gets a bad rap today.

Too many scandals of religious leaders. Public religious facade, overblown perhaps, gets ripped away and the private person revealed who is very different.

God have mercy on us all for the various ways we share in that.

Temptation to throw out religion altogether.

But that is not the solution.

Religion comes from re-ligio. re- back; ligo - a tie or a connection. religio — to bind up, to bind back up, to bind together.

Integration of the spiritual life with our whole life.

Lent is a time for us to practice our religion with an aim to making sure we are combatting any hypocrisy that may be lurking in our hearts.

We want to pray, worship, fast and give.

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. Not to show off to others.

But because these disciplines, bind us back together with God.

Checking our motivation:

GIVE: really grateful to God and finding ways to show it.

PRAY: really trusting in God, so engaging in prayer;

FAST: really interested in strengthening the spirit against the flesh and so fasting.

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.

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: Real Religion is always seen

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

Our minds often go right to our faults.

Thank God we can go to him and confess and receive forgiveness.

Lent is a time to know that God also sees our attempts at showing love and virtue.

Our attempts to bind to God are also who we are.

Especially when they are unseen or unrecognized by others. When they are just for him.

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. It matters. A special bond between us and God. Genuine religion. Genuine righteousness.

It makes a difference.

Exegesis 3: The Secret Reward

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

Jesus’ listeners may have worried, if I don’t make it obvious that I’m performing all the ritual aspects of righteousness, it could cost me. Socially, economically, people will see me as not fitting in.

He sees in secret and he rewards in secret.

Provides a reward more reliable than any earthly goods.

In the first century moth, rust, thieves were typical threats

Moths destroyed fabric

Rust destroyed metals

Thieves take anything of value.

Material goods, like other people’s opinions, are easy come and easy go, in contrast the the favor of the Lord is enduring.

Investing in relationship with God is like treasure in heaven beyond the reach of any threat.

The prophet Isaiah extolled the benefits that result from genuine religion

Isaiah 58:8–9 “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….,”

The reward of genuine religion is not earthly wealth, or human approval, but God’s approval and assistance.

Implication 3

Lent a time to appreciate that as we seek God, we will really experience him.

We give of our temporary resources, he will provide for us from his eternal resources.

We discomfort ourselves, he comforts, heals, and vindicates with his spirit.

We pray, he answers. He goes head, and is our rear guard. we gain a sense of his presence in our life.

When we embrace the spiritual call and we fast, pray, we worship, we give, we discover that we are not losing, but gaining, we are gaining more God in our life.

Conclusion

We all have self-images we project. Part of life, not the whole of life.

God sees the real self.

That is a promise and an invitation.

invitation to re-integrate, religio the self to God.

and promises that he sees the effort and he will reciprocate the drawing near.

Invitation to Observe a Holy Lent

Beloved people of God:

Every year at the time of the Christian Passover we celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord jesus Christ. Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration and to renew our life in the paschal mystery. We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance, and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes. This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life, and marks the penitence of this community.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by meditation on God’s word. Now let us bow before God, our creator and redeemer, and confess our sin.

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.