First Sunday of Lent
March 1, 2020
Three Ways to Celebrate Lent
March 1, 2020
Three Ways to Celebrate Lent
Psalm 25, Response #2
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
A man goes into a restaurant, his shirt open at the collar. He is stopped by the maitre’d who tells him that he must wear a necktie to get in. So, the man goes out to his car. He looks around in vain for a tie. He sees a set of jumper cables. He ties these around his neck in a fairly acceptable looking knot and lets the ends dangle fee. He goes back to the restaurant wearing this tie made from jumper cables. The maitre ‘d carefully looks him over for a few minutes and then says, “Well; okay, I guess you can come in – JUST DON’T START ANYTHING.”
Ash Wednesday which of course was this past Wednesday, is the start of something – Lent, the season of the church year leading up to Easter. There are many traditions associated with Ash Wednesday and with Lent. For example, I hope you had your pancakes by Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. In the Middle Ages the church forbade eating animal fat during Lent, so the custom arose of using up all the fat in pancakes Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Afterwards everyone joined in games costing a penny or two. The money raised was given to the poor. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Mardi Gras (French for “ Fat Tuesday”) and its European celebration featured carnivals (which means “farewell to meat:).
Lent has traditionally been a time of penitence and self-denial. It is a time of taking stock of our lives. And so, we ask the question this morning: What is the proper way to celebrate Lent? Is it a time to give up chocolate? Is it to spend endless hours on our knees? Is it to wear glum expressions on our face? How shall we celebrate this holy season? Our lesson for today tells us.
Jesus says, “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.”
Jesus is cautioning his followers against public displays of religiosity, but he is also telling us how to celebrate Lent – with acts of righteousness” as one translation puts it. What are these acts of righteousness? Let’s read on: “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 are praised by others.” So, here is the first act of righteousness: Give alms, give to the needy. Not publicly, not with fanfare, but still give.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson in a sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine once said that we will be measured by how we “treat those who live in the manger not the mansion. . . The blessed of us,” said Jackson, “must save the rest of us.” And he’s right.
Rev. C. Ross McCellan of Faith United Church in St. Joseph, Mo. collected symbols – symbols that hoboes used to designate houses that they might approach for a hand-out. Remembering a mark, he had found as a boy, McCellan once asked an old hobo what it might have meant. The hobo, Pop Bottle Charlie, gave him a list of different signs with their meanings. Here are what some of the symbols stood for: 1. Religious people; 2. Dishonest man ( a backstabber); done ask for work; 3. Police officer lives there; 4. Good jungle, make yourself at home; 5. You can sleep in this farmer’s barn; 6. Poor water; 7. Stay out of the yard; 8. There people will help you when you’re sick.
What kind of symbol would people see on your fence or on your home? Some of us have developed hardening of the heart when it comes to giving to the needy. The more we have, the harder it is for us to share. Jesus tells us to do it in secret – not as a show of piety but still, we are to give. We are not to make a show of our charity, but we are to give to those less fortunate. The season of Lent would be a good time for us to find someone in need and, without fanfare, share with them. Of course, not all needs are monetary.
Years ago, pastor Todd Outcalt led a church in the mountains of North Carolina. The church’s youth group frequently planned outdoor activities, like hiking, canoeing and camping. But one member of the youth group rarely participated. Her name was Susie, and she was disabled by a degenerative muscle disease. One day, the youth group decided to climb a local mountain peak. They really wanted to see the gorgeous views on this peak, but no one wanted to leave Susie behind. So, the teens volunteered to take turns carrying Susie up the mountain. It was a tough climb up to the top of the mountain, but they all made it safely. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Susie had never seen anything like it in her life. Months later, Susie’s mother wrote the pastor to tell him that Susie was still talking about the hike up the mountain. It had changed her life. Not all needs are monetary.
Wouldn’t Jesus be elated if each of us resolved today to do something between this First Sunday in Lent and Easter to make someone else’s way a little easier? What a way to celebrate Lent! You see, in Hebrew, one word stands for both “righteousness” in general and for “almsgiving” in particular. Giving to the needy is, to use Jesus’ words, an act of righteousness. That is a good way to begin our celebration of Lent.
THE SECOND WAY IS PRAYER. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and aet 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.”
I don’t think may of us have to worry about putting on a show with our prayers. In fact, just the opposite is probably true. We probably do not pray enough. And that is sad. Prayer makes a difference. Recent research suggests that people who are prayed for are helped by those prayers even if they do not know someone is praying.
Prayer must be an important ingredient of any celebration of Lent. May I suggest that before you leave here today, you resolve with God’s help to spend a certain amount of time between now and Easter in prayer.
THE FINAL ACT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT JESUS LISTS HERE IS THAT OF FASTING. Jesus says, “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. Bute when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen note by others but by our Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
In Scripture we see several purposes for fasting. It’s part of the discipline of self-control; it’s a way of declaring that we depend on God alone and draw all our strength and resources from God; in a way of focusing totally on God when seeking his guidance and help, and of showing that you really are in earnest in your quest; it’s also, at times, an expression of sorrow and deep repentance, something that a person or community will do in order to acknowledge failure before God and seek his mercy.
James Packer notes that we tend to think of fasting as going without food, but we fast from anything. If we love music and decide to miss a concert in order to spend time with God, that is fasting. It is helpful to think of the parallel of human friendship. When friends need to be together, they will cancel all other activities in order to make that possible. There’s nothing magical about fasting. It’s just one way of telling God that your priority at that moment is to be alone with God, sorting out whatever is necessary, and you have canceled a the meal, party, concert, or whatever else you had planned to do in order to fulfill that priority.
Lent is a time for each of us to review and take stock of our lives as we look forward to that glorious Easter morning when we rejoice in the hope embodied in Christ’s resurrection. Jesus invites us to make use of aiding the needy, fervent prayer, and acts of self-denial as the means of focusing our lives once again on the important things of life, not just for the Lenten Season but throughout our pilgrimage of faith.
Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18
A man goes into a restaurant, his shirt open at the collar. He is stopped by the maitre’d who tells him that he must wear a necktie to get in. So, the man goes out to his car. He looks around in vain for a tie. He sees a set of jumper cables. He ties these around his neck in a fairly acceptable looking knot and lets the ends dangle fee. He goes back to the restaurant wearing this tie made from jumper cables. The maitre ‘d carefully looks him over for a few minutes and then says, “Well; okay, I guess you can come in – JUST DON’T START ANYTHING.”
Ash Wednesday which of course was this past Wednesday, is the start of something – Lent, the season of the church year leading up to Easter. There are many traditions associated with Ash Wednesday and with Lent. For example, I hope you had your pancakes by Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. In the Middle Ages the church forbade eating animal fat during Lent, so the custom arose of using up all the fat in pancakes Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Afterwards everyone joined in games costing a penny or two. The money raised was given to the poor. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Mardi Gras (French for “ Fat Tuesday”) and its European celebration featured carnivals (which means “farewell to meat:).
Lent has traditionally been a time of penitence and self-denial. It is a time of taking stock of our lives. And so, we ask the question this morning: What is the proper way to celebrate Lent? Is it a time to give up chocolate? Is it to spend endless hours on our knees? Is it to wear glum expressions on our face? How shall we celebrate this holy season? Our lesson for today tells us.
Jesus says, “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.”
Jesus is cautioning his followers against public displays of religiosity, but he is also telling us how to celebrate Lent – with acts of righteousness” as one translation puts it. What are these acts of righteousness? Let’s read on: “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 are praised by others.” So, here is the first act of righteousness: Give alms, give to the needy. Not publicly, not with fanfare, but still give.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson in a sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine once said that we will be measured by how we “treat those who live in the manger not the mansion. . . The blessed of us,” said Jackson, “must save the rest of us.” And he’s right.
Rev. C. Ross McCellan of Faith United Church in St. Joseph, Mo. collected symbols – symbols that hoboes used to designate houses that they might approach for a hand-out. Remembering a mark, he had found as a boy, McCellan once asked an old hobo what it might have meant. The hobo, Pop Bottle Charlie, gave him a list of different signs with their meanings. Here are what some of the symbols stood for: 1. Religious people; 2. Dishonest man ( a backstabber); done ask for work; 3. Police officer lives there; 4. Good jungle, make yourself at home; 5. You can sleep in this farmer’s barn; 6. Poor water; 7. Stay out of the yard; 8. There people will help you when you’re sick.
What kind of symbol would people see on your fence or on your home? Some of us have developed hardening of the heart when it comes to giving to the needy. The more we have, the harder it is for us to share. Jesus tells us to do it in secret – not as a show of piety but still, we are to give. We are not to make a show of our charity, but we are to give to those less fortunate. The season of Lent would be a good time for us to find someone in need and, without fanfare, share with them. Of course, not all needs are monetary.
Years ago, pastor Todd Outcalt led a church in the mountains of North Carolina. The church’s youth group frequently planned outdoor activities, like hiking, canoeing and camping. But one member of the youth group rarely participated. Her name was Susie, and she was disabled by a degenerative muscle disease. One day, the youth group decided to climb a local mountain peak. They really wanted to see the gorgeous views on this peak, but no one wanted to leave Susie behind. So, the teens volunteered to take turns carrying Susie up the mountain. It was a tough climb up to the top of the mountain, but they all made it safely. The view was absolutely breathtaking. Susie had never seen anything like it in her life. Months later, Susie’s mother wrote the pastor to tell him that Susie was still talking about the hike up the mountain. It had changed her life. Not all needs are monetary.
Wouldn’t Jesus be elated if each of us resolved today to do something between this First Sunday in Lent and Easter to make someone else’s way a little easier? What a way to celebrate Lent! You see, in Hebrew, one word stands for both “righteousness” in general and for “almsgiving” in particular. Giving to the needy is, to use Jesus’ words, an act of righteousness. That is a good way to begin our celebration of Lent.
THE SECOND WAY IS PRAYER. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and aet 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.”
I don’t think may of us have to worry about putting on a show with our prayers. In fact, just the opposite is probably true. We probably do not pray enough. And that is sad. Prayer makes a difference. Recent research suggests that people who are prayed for are helped by those prayers even if they do not know someone is praying.
Prayer must be an important ingredient of any celebration of Lent. May I suggest that before you leave here today, you resolve with God’s help to spend a certain amount of time between now and Easter in prayer.
THE FINAL ACT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT JESUS LISTS HERE IS THAT OF FASTING. Jesus says, “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. Bute when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen note by others but by our Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
In Scripture we see several purposes for fasting. It’s part of the discipline of self-control; it’s a way of declaring that we depend on God alone and draw all our strength and resources from God; in a way of focusing totally on God when seeking his guidance and help, and of showing that you really are in earnest in your quest; it’s also, at times, an expression of sorrow and deep repentance, something that a person or community will do in order to acknowledge failure before God and seek his mercy.
James Packer notes that we tend to think of fasting as going without food, but we fast from anything. If we love music and decide to miss a concert in order to spend time with God, that is fasting. It is helpful to think of the parallel of human friendship. When friends need to be together, they will cancel all other activities in order to make that possible. There’s nothing magical about fasting. It’s just one way of telling God that your priority at that moment is to be alone with God, sorting out whatever is necessary, and you have canceled a the meal, party, concert, or whatever else you had planned to do in order to fulfill that priority.
Lent is a time for each of us to review and take stock of our lives as we look forward to that glorious Easter morning when we rejoice in the hope embodied in Christ’s resurrection. Jesus invites us to make use of aiding the needy, fervent prayer, and acts of self-denial as the means of focusing our lives once again on the important things of life, not just for the Lenten Season but throughout our pilgrimage of faith.
