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The Reverend Beth Fain

Ash Wednesday - February 6, 2008

Giving up vainglory for Lent (Matthew 6.1-6,6-21)

Perhaps the most common sin during Lent is vain glory.
Isn't that a great word? Vainglory.
Vainglory is doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
Which is the point of our gospel today.
In the midst of Jesus' three chapters long "Sermon on the Mount", in the verses we hear each Ash Wednesday, Jesus gives us three examples of vain glory.
Giving, praying, and fasting to focus on us rather than building our relationship with Jesus.
Many, if not all of us, will be taking on something and giving up something as part of our Lenten disciplines.
The key being the word discipline-because discipline is something done to make us stronger.
In the case of Lenten disciplines, to make our relationship with God stronger.
Jesus assumes that we will all give with generosity.
That we will all pray.
That we will all fast.
Saying not if we give or if we pray or if we fast, but when we give, when we pray, when we fast. I think that we get the part about Jesus assuming we'll pray and assuming we'll give.
The fasting part is a little more difficult.
Fasting is the most countercultural of the spiritual disciplines because everywhere we turn we are urged not to deny ourselves any thing.
Fasting is not just about choosing to go meal less; we can fast from any thing.
It's what all of you who give up chocolate for Lent are doing.
That's a fast.
One Lent, another of you gave up watching her favorite TV show, Law and Order.
That was a fast, especially when that hour left free from Law and Order watching wasn't filled with a Netflix but with something that built her relationship with God-which could be a whole list of somethings.
Fasting is giving up something of temporal value and putting something of eternal value in its place.
Can you see how that would make us spiritually stronger?
Jesus warns us to not to be hypocritical when we do those acts of spiritual discipline.
The word "hypocrite" is used 17 times in the New Testament; but the only person who uses the word is Jesus.
Hypocrite's classical Greek meaning was actor; it came to be a word used for anyone who practiced deceit-that is acted; that is, did something on the outside that didn't line up with what was happening on the inside.
A hypocrite is full of vainglory.
Jesus also talks about secrets in our gospel.
Did you notice that Jesus uses the word secret six times in our passage?
It is secret in the sense of hidden or concealed.
Secret as a positive thing.
When Jesus talks about fasting, giving, and praying in secret he is not giving us yet one more law or rule to live by; rather he is reminding us that in our most secret place, the secret place deep in our heart that only God knows about, that only God sees-that is the place that our fasting, giving, and praying are to come from.
We don't do this naturally.
We may fast but with the hidden motive to lose weight.
We may give but would not be as likely to do so if we couldn't get an income tax deduction.
We may pray so that we can give God a laundry list of requests, not that there's anything wrong with that, but we may then leave off praying before God can say a word back.
There's nothing wrong with these reasons for fasting, praying, and giving, but God wants to give us something more.
God knows that our spiritual disciplines can link our outside acts with the secret place of our heart.
Jesus says that the reward we can always count on will come from the God of the secret place.
Sure we may lose weight, sure we may decrease our taxes, sure we may feel better-that's a bonus.
But the true purpose of our Lenten disciplines, when we do not practice vainglory, is to build our relationship with God in that deep secret most place in our hearts. The only reward that God promises is that the secret place will be transformed by our Lenten daily walk, and our relationship with God will grow so that good deeds and right actions will flow naturally from us.
More and more without thinking.
So that the face that the world sees will be the same face that only God sees in our secret most place.
Our inside lining up with our outside.
One final word of instruction. Not from Jesus but from me.
This year our Lenten disciplines are once again tied to 40 Days of Time and Talent.
If you haven't made your 40 Days' pledge yet, today would be a good time to do it.
Since the 40 Days begin today.
If you haven't decided what to give up and what to take on for Lent, the pledge brochure has some great tips.
Starting with serving at Lord of the Streets this coming Sunday or attending one of our Sunday Morning Adult Christian Formation offerings to coming to our Wednesday Night Family Events.
All which are designed to help us give up vainglory this Lent.
So that come Easter, it will be a little easier to do the right thing for the right reason.
Because our relationship with God will be stronger.
What better reward could we receive?

AMEN

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