The Ember Wednesday in Lent

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the second part of today’s Gospel text, our Lord tells a parable of an unclean spirit who has been cast out of a man. The spirit wanders the earth, finding no place to rest. And so, it returns to the man from which it was cast out. And it finds that nothing has changed—in fact, everything is put in order for the demon to return. And so it does—but this time it brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they all enter and dwell in the man. And our Lord says of this man: “The last state of that man is worse than the first” (Matthew 12:45). In other words, this poor man would have been better off if the unclean spirit had never been cast out in the first place. This parable is a warning for all Christians, lest they become like the man in our Lord’s parable.

The word of God teaches that we are all conceived and born sinful and are under the power of the devil until Christ claims us as His own. Thus, Martin Luther prescribes the pastor to begin the Baptismal Rite with an exorcism: “Depart, you unclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Spirit.” The rite then continues with the pastor marking the candidate with the sign of the cross upon the forehead and heart: “to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.” And then, in short order, the new birth of water and the Spirit is given as the pastor baptizes the candidate “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

But what happens after Baptism becomes the next most important thing. For the house has been cleared to make room for the Holy Spirit, but Holy Scripture makes plain that one can quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). In other words, just because one receives the Spirit in Holy Baptism does not automatically mean that the Spirit will remain. Otherwise King David would not teach us to pray: “Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11b). The Holy Spirit can and does depart from those who drive Him away by godless living and a lack of faith. And what will happen to those who are not inhabited by the Holy Spirit?

“Then [the unclean spirit] says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation” (Matthew 12:44–45).

So it is, dear friends in Christ, that our fathers in the faith have passed down to us the salutary custom of preparing for Easter by training ourselves for the spiritual warfare which is waging around us. And we must wage spiritual war every day of our lives. For the danger of losing the faith is very real. Just as the devil tempted our Lord to sin in the wilderness, so too does he tempt you to fall from grace at every chance he gets.

This is why we are spending time this Lenten season considering Christian virtue and discipline as a means of growing in sanctified living and thus resisting the temptations of the devil. On Ash Wednesday, we considered the virtue of temperance, or controlling pleasure, along with its corresponding discipline of fasting. Today we will consider the virtue of justice with its corresponding discipline of almsgiving or charitable deeds. We will do so primarily based on the following verses from Matthew chapter 6, part of the historic Gospel for the Friday after Ash Wednesday:

Jesus said: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:1-4).

So it is that we are introduced to the second Lenten discipline of almsgiving—or “charitable deeds”, as this translation calls it. The idea of almsgiving primarily revolves around giving money (or potentially other goods) to those who are in need. A secondary, more metaphorical, type of almsgiving certainly could be the giving of time or talents, whereby we assist our neighbor who is in need. But regardless of how you slice it, almsgiving (as it is traditionally called) is about the sacrificial giving of self for the benefit of another.

Christ is clear about two things in this passage. First, He says, “When you give alms…” It is as if the Lord says, “You will give just as you will fast. I will not prescribe a set amount or manner for your giving, but you must do it.” Second, He says: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). As with fasting, our giving of alms ought not be done for earthly gain. If we give in order to receive recognition in this life, we will certainly receive recognition, but nothing more.

And so it is that Christians give—it’s just what we do. And a major part of that giving ought to be to the church. The church has expenses and needs which are only met by the giving of the faithful. And so, if you benefit from the work of the church—which is to say, if you receive the gifts of Christ through Word and Sacrament and so are strengthened in your Christian walk here on earth—then you should give to the church in some measure. That may sound self-serving for the pastor to say—and to some extent it is—but at the same time, the Word of God is clear about this over and over, for example: “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:6-7; cf. also Luke 10:7; 1 Corinthians 9:14; 1 Timothy 5:17-18).

But as we said before, Holy Scripture does not prescribe an amount or percentage that one must give. The Old Testament “tithe” of ten percent is the usual figure which is given in these sorts of discussions. But, again, the New Testament does not specify an amount or percentage, for Christ did not come as a new law giver. Rather, the Apostle tells us: “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). So it is that the Christian must give according to what he decides in his heart—and he should do so with cheerfulness. Ten percent is certainly a worthy percentage. But for some whose finances are already extremely tight, ten percent just isn’t feasible. For others who have more wiggle room in their budget, they might not even notice ten percent being given away, in which case a larger percentage may be given.

But perhaps a more important consideration is why. Why does Christ command giving? This brings us to the virtue of justice. Justice is rendering that which is due to another person. When we refuse to give of our money or time, it betrays a selfish attitude which believes that I am the center of the universe. I work so hard for what I have. Why should I give it away to someone who hasn’t worked for it? Such a way of thinking is completely counter to the Christian worldview which sees everything that we have as a gift of God.

This worldview is beautifully and clearly illustrated in the Gospel for Septuagesima—the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). There, the master of the vineyard goes out and hires laborers to work in his vineyard at various times throughout the day. Those hired at the beginning of the day agree to work for a normal day’s wage. But when the end of the day comes, they find that not only do they receive the promised day’s wage, but everyone else who was hired after them, including those who only worked one hour, also receive the same day’s wage. And so, these men have their concept of justice challenged. They say: “It’s not fair that those who only worked one hour are paid the same as those of us who bore the burden of the work and the noonday heat!” (cf. Matthew 20:12). But then the vineyard owner gives this damning reply:

“Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?” (Matthew 20:13-15a).

This parable reveals the truth of things. For God is the vineyard owner and we are His laborers. This is to say, the world belongs to God, and we are simply here by His invitation. Whatever He gives to us is given purely by His grace and mercy. We deserve nothing. All that we have is a gift. Therefore, it is foolhardy to hold onto earthly possessions as if we own or deserve them. They are not ours by right, and we cannot take them with us when we depart in death (cf. 1 Timothy 6:7).

Therefore we would do well to cultivate within ourselves the virtue of justice, which teaches us to see ourselves rightly in relation to God. It is far too easy to become attached to money and possessions. But as Christ warns elsewhere: “No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

Therefore let us give, and let us give generously. Though it may not appear so on the surface, to give is an act of spiritual warfare. For giving of yourself to another helps to train you to detach from the things of this world so that the virtue of justice is cultivated and your fear, love, and trust are properly oriented toward the true God. And when you give—not for selfish, earthly gain—but when you give out of the cheerfulness of your heart, your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

God grant it.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.