Sermon for Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6: 1-6 and 16-21, NT pages 5 and 6 “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. “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. Sermon I am thankful to be a preacher. I believe I’ve told you that before, but I want you to know today that I am thankful that my vocation deals mainly with reading Scripture, though on days like today and weeks like this week I am reminded that while I often think it is my duty to read and come to understand the Bible, truly it is the Bible that is reading and understanding me. Studying Matthew’s Gospel means that I know some about Jesus and the Disciples as they are uniquely presented here, but today I am more impressed by how well this passage of Scripture understands me and my temptations, my struggles; I thought it might be the other way around but it’s not. I know that to be the case because here in the Gospel of Matthew is presented a very real human predicament. The Theologians will call it Idolatry, putting something or someone who is not God in the place of God, but to put it more simply is just to say this: Scripture knows your motivation, Scripture understands why you do what you do, understanding you quite possibly better than you understand yourself. We think simply about our actions, our piety, our religious practice – but here Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is urging all of us to better examine our motivations, and our motivations are worth dealing with, because it’s not just what we do that matters, but also why we do what we do. Alms giving, prayer, and fasting – these are the three practices we should all dedicate ourselves to for the 40 Days of Lent – but it’s not enough to dedicate yourself to these practices. Be wary of why you are dedicated and who you are seeking to impress, for if we act out of obedience to impress someone besides God than have we not put someone else in God’s place? Christ warns us against such idolatry: “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.” “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.” And, “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” in heaven. Beware of devoting your time, your energy, your attention to “the others.” Now that is a good word for this preacher and I don’t mind telling you why. Every time I stand behind this pulpit I am wary of how I am being perceived. I haven’t changed much from when I was 7 years old, afraid to wear shorts even in the summer because of a brown birthmark on my knee – what will they think? What will people say? But who does the preacher preach for? Who does the choir sing for? For whom does the organist play? If we wait for applause we have violated the purpose of our assembly, because there are many here tonight in the congregation, but in the words of the great Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, there is only one in the audience – we are all here that our worship might be pleasing to God. We muddle this up however, and when we do we make a mockery out of something sacred. If we give to be congratulated for our kindness, if we pray so that people will see us and admire us, if we fast to be impressive, what have we done? We have shown God that we care most of all about what other people think. Now that’s not so strange in 21st Century America. If anything, that’s as normal as it gets. Everyone I know worries about what people are thinking, how many people like the picture they put up on Instagram and how many friends they have on Facebook. Bullying is a problem in schools because all students want the approval of their peers and to withhold approval can prove tragic – but the Gospel of Matthew is preaching a new word to all of us: be careful about whose opinion matters to you, for when you worry most of all about what the others think, have you not put them in the place of God? It’s time we all did a little rearranging. So think about school. There the teacher gives the test, and though the students test her patience, is it not that we are all the students and life is the only test that matters? It was Shakespeare who said that all the world’s a stage And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side; His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, Turning again toward childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. And maybe he is right – there are seven acts and some of you are in the early part of this play, others of you further along. This sentiment is not so far from Ash Wednesday when we are all marked with the cross and charged to “remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return,” for we are all moving towards the final scene “that ends this strange eventful history,” but if all the world’s a stage, who is watching? Whose applause are you working for? If it is your neighbor’s be careful, because once you have something impressive know that he’ll soon enough have something better. If it is your boss be even more careful, because the only thing she can give you is more money – and how much is that next raise worth and how much is it going to cost you? If it is your boyfriend be worried about a relationship that always takes and never gives – if it is a friend whose approval you are always working for than question if it’s really friendship at all. And if it doesn’t matter who, if you are one of those people who suffer from the same illness that I suffer from – if it doesn’t matter who it is at all, you still want their approval and find yourself working for it – then you above all are to be pitied because the others are a fickle people. They won’t ever stop asking for more – they’ll just take as long as you’re willing to give. They’ll love you one day and hate you the next. They’ll applaud you one second then boo you off the stage, so be careful, and above all, stop trying so hard, because they are not your Father in Heaven, they are not worthy of your devotion, and the more you seek their approval the farther you slip towards Idolatry. Where there is Idolatry there is death – but to all who worship the true God, there is abundant life. “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.” Seek his reward, seek his approval, and you will find the keys to everlasting life. Amen.