February 14, 2024 Ash Wednesday The text is Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21.

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[Jesus said to the disciples:] 1 “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. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so 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. 6 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.

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. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 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. 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The general theme of Jesus’ words this evening is one of caution against acting as the “hypocrites” do.  And is almost always the case, when Jesus speaks about hypocrites he is referring to the Pharisees, members of a group of Jewish scholars who concerned themselves with proper application of, and adherence to the Law. 

For the most part this was a respected role in Hebrew society, culture, and religion.  It seems that Jesus took exception to the actions of the Pharisees when they became self-righteous regarding their own behavior while faulting others for actions that were similar.  “Rules for thee but not for me” as the old adage goes.  These interpreters of the Law, in many cases allowed their displays of public piety to overshadow their clarification of the Law for the everyday Judean.  Jesus makes his point quite clear on this topic; “don’t be like them” when they behave in this way. 

Don’t announce it when you give to charity.  Don’t pray out loud in the street so people will be impressed by your show of piety.  And when you fast, as proscribed by the Law, don’t make a big deal out of it.  Act normally and don’t make it obvious by allowing yourself to look like you’re truly suffering because you’re fasting.  Here’s the part of Jesus’ caution about being hypocritical that we may want to explore further before we come forward to receive ashes on our foreheads this evening.  He said, “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”.  We might start to think of ourselves as the hypocrites that Jesus is castigating as we walk out of the building with our own unwashed foreheads.  Rest assured, I’m pretty sure that this isn’t what Jesus refers to; we aren’t trying to impress our neighbors with our own piety, because the ashes we wear represent the actual opposite of any self-righteous aspirations.

We’ll come back to this in a moment, but first let’s do a quick review of Lent in general and Ash Wednesday in particular, before we move on.  The season of Lent is a time when we re-examine our relationship with God, rededicating ourselves to those faith practices that we acknowledge make us Christians.  These practices are different from the core beliefs we share as followers of Jesus.  These boil down to what Martin Luther refers to as the “Three Solas”.  Sola Fide, faith alone; Solus Christus, Christ alone; Sola Gratia, Grace alone.  The fundamental creed of our Christian faith teaches that we are saved by our faith in Jesus, by the grace of God.  That’s it, this pronouncement is what makes us Christians.  It is our response to this belief, the tangible actions we take, that take us from believing followers of Jesus Christ, to those practicing a living faith, desiring always that our relationship with God is constant, reinforced, active, and righteous. 

And this flourishing relationship with God is expressed through the practices we undertake that show our desire to be in relationship with our Creator.  And three of these form the topics of Jesus’ sermon regarding caution when they are undertaken.  The giving of alms, prayer, and fasting.  Now it should be noted that we are called to engage in these practices as the ongoing norm for how we proclaim our faith.  But, as we enter into Lent, the period in which we travel with Jesus on his way, and our way to the cross, it becomes imperative that we redouble our efforts to ensure we observe these in a more resolute fashion.  For they are the ways in which we draw nearer to our Savior during this time when we acknowledge our human, earthly mortality, while also having faith in our heavenly, eternal life to come. 

How might we consider these ways of engaging in an active faith life, while not falling into the trap of the hypocrisy Jesus warns against?  Alms-giving, a rather antiquated term is simply the act of “practicing charity”.  And this isn’t limited to money, we practice charity when we share our bounty with those in need.  Anything we can do, any action we take, any form of giving to another in support of our neighbor is pleasing to God.  It’s probably going to be okay if others might be aware that we are being charitable, as long as we don’t “sound a trumpet” when we do so, as Jesus commands against those who would be hypocrites. 

Luther writes that we are to “pray without ceasing”, but unless we were to enter into a monastic life, none of us is able to spend our entire day in prayer.  But the idea in Lent is to try to spend more time speaking with God that we usually do.  Again, this is especially true in this time of the 40 days when we are called to self-examination and repentance.  Lenten practice invites us to examine our individual prayer life.  For as much time as we spend normally in personal conversation with God during our day, as we move toward the cross with Jesus, we can’t help but enrich our relationship with God if we expand our prayer life.

Are we expected to fast, to “give up” something as part of our Lenten practice? Many faith traditions do engage in some sort of fasting as a way to focus on their relationship with deity.  Each time the person fasting from chocolate considers eating a Hershey bar, they refrain from doing so and instead take a moment to reflect on strengthening their relationship with God.

During Lent, perhaps we might consider “giving up” our fear, our anxiety, our short temper, ambition, selfishness; anything that turns us away from God.  And when we feel these emotions creeping into our consciousness, then we, just like those who have given up the Snickers bar, may be prompted to spend a moment with God.

So back to the ashes and the fear of being hypocrites.  As we reflect on our mortality in this world, we do so in the hope of the life to come in the next one.  The ashes we wear are not intended as a show of piety to others, but as a tangible, physical reminder of the dust from which we came, and to which our mortal bodies will return.  And we wear this sign of earthly dust as an outward display of what we cling to in our hearts.  As we travel through Lent and to the inevitable cross, we are focused on the reward that God promises us, the one that is secured by the work of Christ upon the cross.  The marks upon our foreheads speak not to hypocritical signs of piety, but to faithful, hopeful trust in the One who will raise us up from the dust of the earth and into the eternal realm of heaven.    

Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and holy God, strengthen us as we walk with Jesus this Lenten season.  Remind us through the ashes we wear upon our foreheads that the lives we live are a gift from you, and that they are fleeting.  Keep us in faith as we look to the eternal life that you promise your people.  And we pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the One whose resurrection overcomes the dust of the ashes we wear.      

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.