Matthew
6:1-6, 16-21
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.
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.
Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.
· In a few minutes, on
this Ash Wednesday, we will come forward and take a thumb-ful of ashes on our
foreheads and hear those words - or some variation of them - spoken to us. It
doesn’t matter if we are Anglican or Lutheran or of any of the leaves on the
tree of the Christian faith. As disciples of Jesus Christ – that’s what we all
are – we are being called once again to take the Gospel seriously.
· “You are dust”: it’s
not an insult; it’s reality. We can go the route that many do today and say we
are made of dust and that dust is star-stuff, the atoms and molecules that make
up the very stars.
· On the other hand, we
could say we are dust and dust blows away with the lightest breeze. Our lives
here are passing and realizing that in the best manner leads to the gift of
humility. That word is related to the idea of being ‘low’, like the earth
itself, the humus in which all life grows. True humility is being what you are,
without varnish and garnish or without false humility.
· We are dust and to
dust we shall return. This is the ultimate reality of our lives here on Earth.
As I said, it is no insult.
· When I impose ashes
on people’s foreheads, I sometimes use different words, completely at random.
To some, I use a variation of Jesus’ first preaching – “Repent and believe
the Good News.” To others, I say “Reform your life and believe in the
Gospel.” Repent means “Turn around”
and reform means “become changed for the
better.” These are not put-downs, but admonitions to remember that you
might be better than you think, that you can be more than you are right now, that
you are more blessed than you imagine.
· It is not Good News
to say that you can do this for yourself. No, grace is the motivator and the
power behind the start and the finish. It is not Good News to say you can
finish all this during this Lent. After all, Lent is not simply a time of
dedicated reform, but a specific time to prepare for the celebration of the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the festival we call Easter.
· There is Good News
tonight. There is saving Gospel among us. When we come forward to receive the
ashes as a reminder of our mortality and a sign that we wish to reform and
continue to be Christians… remember this:
· Remember… that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
Remember…You are loved, and to Love you shall return. Remember… You are God's,
and to God you shall return.
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