Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Jesus said, "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.

"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. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"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. 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.

"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. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

-----------

We are an Easter people. On Ash Wednesday, as we begin the period of traditional Lenten sacrifice, I want us to keep in mind that we are always an Easter people. A people for whom the resurrection is first and foremost on our minds - even at this moment when the resurrection, the hallelujahs, are 40 days away. We keep within our hearts the knowledge of the risen Christ, even as we pass through the darkest period of the church year. We are sustained by hope.

We quite purposely held the first Sunday service for All Saints' Episcopal Church on the last day of Epiphany, a time more fitted to the celebration and new beginnings of a church than the more somber, prayerful period of Lent which follows. Beginning the service last Sunday also allowed us to immediately move into a time which is rich in the symbolic practice of the Church. Lent will provide a time to learn about Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, the Lenten discipline, and later we will experience Holy Week with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter.

Lent. Popular culture knows of Lent as a time for giving up things. Chocolate seems to be a favorite. Sometimes Krispy Kreme donuts. Giving up meat and alcohol are common choices. I remember a buddy in college whose girl friend, as a way of ending the relationship, decided to give him up for Lent. These are the kind of sacrifices that lead to the dismal looks and disfigured faces that Jesus referred to in the Gospel reading. I think that the idea that most people have about Lent is that it involves a symbolic self-sacrifice, reminiscent of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

That's not exactly how it began. You see in the early church Lent originated as a period of time designed to prepare believers for baptism. Baptism traditionally took place only on Easter, and the 40 days leading up to Easter was used by the church to instruct prospective members in the faith. I would like for us to keep that model in mind. We will have our first baptisms, here at All Saints', on Easter Sunday. Many of you are already making plans to invite godparents and relatives to be here with us. I would like for us also to consider this a time of instruction, not just for those who will be baptized, but for those who have long been a part of the church. On that Easter Sunday, when we will baptize, I'm not sure how many people, we will all say the words of the Baptismal Covenant, make a reaffirmation of our faith, experience again our own baptism, know that we are, as the newly baptized, marked as Christ's own forever.

As the church evolved, the period of Lent began to focus on three acts of Christian piety: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Let's look for a moment at each of the three, beginning with prayer.

Listen again to the words of the gospel according to Matthew, ""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. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret". That suggests to me, for Lent, a time for a lot less talking and a lot more listening. A time for more silence. It is not news to you how much we are bombarded with voices. Radio, television, blogs, podcasts - a constant barrage of voices intent on selling us something we don't really need. I bought a dozen eggs the other day and etched on every egg was a message telling me that I should buy a new Toyota. I am suggesting that you set aside some time during Lent to quiet the voices that fuel consumerism. Take a break in silence. Explore contemplative prayer. Learn to meditate. Learn to listen, as St. Benedict said, with the ear of the heart.

Fasting. Certainly a worthwhile practice for a variety of reasons. Fasting, if done mindfully, can awaken our consciousness. A hunger pang, experienced periodically throughout the day, can serve as a reminder - to wake up. A reminder that we are children of God, that we contain within us a spark of the Divine. A pang of hunger can remind us to be thankful, to live in thankfulness, for the blessings that we ignore when our stomachs are full. Living with hunger, by choice, is conscious altering, enabling us to look at the world in a slightly different way.

One of those different ways of looking at the world, offered by fasting, is a tiny glimpse of human existence from the perspective of the truly hungry - those who don't fast by choice. It can be a Lenten sacrifice that changes us. Jesus said to keep your fasting to yourself "so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret". What does a fast that is seen by the Father look like? Maybe not just one that allows us to feel pious, but a fast that transforms us. One that moves us to action, spurs us on to do something about the real hunger, the real poverty, that grips most of the world. A world already awakened to the conscious altering effects of hunger. A fast that awakens us to our own hunger for God, while simultaneously awakening us to the hunger that gnaws at bellies of children around the world is a fast that is truly "seen by the Father". Otherwise, we are the appropriate audience for Isaiah's admonition, "Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers."

The third Lenten practice of the ancient church was almsgiving. Jesus said, "So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you." Whenever I read this I can't help but think of the almsgiving - of the contributions to the community usually made by corporations. Most every edition of every local paper contains a photograph of a smiling executive holding a giant check for a few thousand dollars, made out to any number of worthy charities. Shoot me if I ever appear in a photograph like that. Or at least, make sure that the photo session is accompanied by sounding trumpets and high praise so that at least the extent of the hypocrisy of the moment will not be missed by anyone.

I think that the almsgiving we are asked to do at Lent is of a different order altogether. The kind of righteous practice of which we heard the prophet Isaiah speak is one that loosens the bonds of injustice, lets the oppressed go free, calls on us to share our bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into our houses. It is charity of an entirely different order of magnitude. It is not almsgiving from a distance, but the introduction of intimacy with strangers. We are called to welcome the poor into our midst. We are asked to associate with those not of our social class - how radical is that...

Prayer, fasting, almsgiving. During Lent we can ask God to bless us and those we resemble, or we can learn to listen to what God has to say. We can skip a meal or we can make sure others don't have to. We can drop a few coins in the alms basin, or we can work to end injustice. During Lent, we can give up our doughnuts, or we can give up lives.