Ash Wednesday ---- 14 February 2018

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.

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them

·        I’d like to tell you a brief story:

-         A man went to the Priest of his church and said, “I won't be attending Church anymore.”

-         Priest said, “May I ask why?”

-         Man said, “I see people on their cell phones texting and typing during the service, some are gossiping, some just aren’t living right, some are sleeping, some are staring at me, they are all just hypocrites.”

-         The Priest was silent. Then he said, “Can I ask you to do something for me before you make your final decision?”

-         Man said, “Sure, what's that?”

-         Priest said, “Take a glass of water and walk around the church two times and don't let any water fall out of the glass.”

-         Man said, “Yes I can do that!” He went and got the glass of water and walked around the church two times. He came back and said proudly, “It's done.”

-         The Priest asked him these questions; “Did you see anybody on their phone? Did you see anybody gossiping? Was anybody living wrong? Did you see anyone sleeping?”

-         Man said, “I didn't see anything because I was so focused on this glass, so the water wouldn't spill out”

-         Priest told him, “When you come to church, you should be just that focused on God, so that you don't fall. That’s why Jesus said, ‘Follow Me’, He did not say follow them.”

-         Don't let your relationship with God be determined by how others relate with God. Let it be determined by how focused you are with God.

·        Kenyon Mackey

·        Lent is not about losing weight, or seeing that we pray for those folks we’d forgotten, or contributing to the needs of the ‘less fortunate’ in our neighborhood. It is not about becoming a ‘better person’ for the sake of God. All those things are noble goals and they can and should be done; however they are not what Lent is about.

·        Lent is about discovering, acknowledging, and giving the distractions we all have in our lives over to the grace of God. Lent is about discovering and acknowledging God’s grace in our lives. Lent is about focusing our attention and our listening on God’s life with us. If this does nothing else, Lent will have prepared us to celebrate Easter.

·        It may seem strange to mention Easter at this first day of Lent, but the celebration of Easter is the goal of any Lenten observance. If our focus is on what Jesus has done for us and freely given to us, that focus draws us to Easter. Lent is the hallway, the journey, the pilgrimage that takes us to Easter.

·        Like Spring that is coming (believe it or not) after this Winter, the Easter celebration will come whether we make use of the preparations around us. This is our opportunity, our privilege, our focus, and ultimately our treasure.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.