Sermon Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21 Take On Something for Lent

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21 Take On Something for Lent

March 2, 2014 Ash Wednesday

This is Ash Wednesday. We start a 40 day period of preparation for the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sundays are not included in Lent because Sundays are always set aside for a celebration of Jesus' resurrection. But today is not Sunday. And so we gather in a solemn assembly to consider our own mortality and the reality of sin in our lives.

For many people Lent is a time to give things up. You will hear people say things like, “I'm giving up chocolate for Lent.” And there is nothing wrong with this. But I urge you not to give something up but to put something on for Lent. I urge you to begin a spiritual practice which will sustain you throughout your lives. To learn about spiritual practices we return to the side of a mountain near Capernaum where we will hear our teacher, Jesus.

Matthew 6:1-6 ^NIV Matthew 6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

Spiritual practices, or what Jesus calls “acts of righteousness”, are things you do in private. You may do them alone, or with a small group of family and friends, or at church. These are not things you do in public. That's why we have gathered in this sanctuary tonight. We are far away from the cares and concerns of the world so that we can spend some time alone with God. Let's listen to Jesus as he talks about spiritual practices.

² "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

The first spiritual practice you could take on for Lent is to give to the poor. This you must do in private to prevent you from giving in order to receive some benefit for yourself. You are to give out of the love you have for your neighbor. You may give through to the church, through other charities, or directly to people in need. I know you already give, but during Lent, as a spiritual practice give more. Giving is important, but it is not the only spiritual practice. Let's go back to Jesus.

⁵ "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

It is certainly acceptable to pray in public. But as a spiritual practice you must pray privately. You may do this by yourselves or with a group of believers. When you pray you should also meditate on scripture because the Bible teaches you how to pray. In Matthew 6 Jesus teaches us how to pray with what we call The Lord's Prayer. The Book of Psalms is filled with ancient prayers. I know you all pray, but during Lent I urge you meditate on scripture and pray every day. Pick a set time for your prayer. You could pray in the morning when you first wake up, or at night just before you go to bed. You could pray before meals. Pick the place and time that is best for you. There is a new app for your smart phone or tablet. It is called “Daily Prayer PC(USA)”. You can use this app to find scripture and prayers to use each day. Just remember that during Lent you should pray every day. So we have heard about giving and prayer as spiritual practices. Let's get back to Jesus and find another.

Matthew 6:16-21 ¹⁶ "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

So far we have heard about giving to the poor and daily prayer as regular spiritual practices. Now we turn to one we don't often do, fasting. As protestants we rarely fast because in the Middle Ages the church abused this practice. But today we need to recover fasting as a spiritual practice. Fasting helps us to remember that we have seen and tasted the Lord. We are satisfied by feasting on the word of God. Just remember that your fast is not public. It is between you and God. So don't go around telling others that you fast. Just do it.

So we have learned from Jesus about the spiritual practices of giving, praying and fasting in private every day as acts of righteousness for Lent. But we have one final question. Why should we do these things? Let's hear how Jesus answered this question.

¹⁹ "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So in the coming kingdom of heaven there will be a new banking system. You will not deposit dollars into your account. In the Bank of the Kingdom of Heaven you make deposits by giving alms to the poor, praying and meditating on scripture every day, and fasting as a way of coming closer to God. I urge you to start making deposits in the bank this Lent. Let's pray.

Father in heaven, we promise to you on this Ash Wednesday that we will give more to the poor, pray every day and fast throughout this Lenten season. We ask that you bless our deposits in the Kingdom of Heaven Bank so that they will be invested and grow into your kingdom. Amen.