ASH WEDNESDAY Sermon Presented To St. Paul s Church Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6:1-6, February 22, 2012 Thack Dyson

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1 ASH WEDNESDAY Sermon Presented To St. Paul s Church Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6:1-6, February 22, 2012 Thack Dyson Tim Tebow has been prominent in headlines in recent months, not so much for his athletic abilities on the gridiron as much for his public displays of faith on the gridiron. His signature pose of kneeling and praying even has a name, Tebowing which means the act of taking a knee in prayer in an athletic contest. The Global Language Monitor, the online equivalent of Webster s Dictionary, says the word Tebowing is now an official word in the English language. 1 Tebow has been assailed by both secular and religious critics. The secular folks do not like him throwing his religion in their faces while watching football. They can do without his Tebowing on the sidelines throughout the game. The religious folks contend his public displays of piety are over the top and inappropriate. They believe he should keep such matters of faith to himself. Despite his critics, Tim Tebow seems like a sincere young man. Also, it s not like he s the first athlete to express his gratitude to God for an accomplishment on the football field. Public displays of piety have occurred during professional football games for at least the last couple of decades. It has been quite common for players who scored touchdowns to point to the heavens acknowledging God or to kneel for a quick prayer in the end zone. For the player, this is an act of faith, a way of giving thanks to God as well as a statement to all who are watching of the player s reliance on God. Frankly, I would rather see a player express his thanks to God with 1 Game-On, USA Today, December 12, 2011.

2 public acts of piety than bump and grind or doing the gator like so many of them do after scoring a touch down. Public displays of faith aren t limited to the athletic arena. People will bless their meals in public restaurants, officials and religious folks will offer prayers at public gatherings and events, and many mayors have Mayor s Prayer Breakfasts. I confess that I bless meals in restaurants, have opened public meetings with prayer, and attended Mayor s Prayer Breakfasts. I also wear a collar as part of my normal attire. Those are public acts of piety. Many of you wear crosses, have the Episcopal Shield decal on your cars and wear religious symbols on your t-shirts. These are also public acts of piety, whether you realize it or not. It s a fact that people of faith are wont to display their relationship with God, even in public. And today, Ash Wednesday, you will see people at school, at work, or walking by you on the street and realize they have ashes placed on their heads as a symbol of their faith, a symbol that can be seen by all those they meet. You will also bear that smudge on your foreheads when you leave this service. Again, another public act of piety. All of these acts, praying in the end zone, praying in a restaurant, wearing crosses, ashes on foreheads, etc., are very public acts of piety, acts which today s Gospel lesson brings into question. As Jesus says in today s reading from Matthew, 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 (Mt 6:1, NRSV).

3 Is Jesus condemning all public displays of piety in this lesson? If so, should we refrain from giving thanks to God in public for the abilities God has given us and for the food we eat? Should we pack away our crosses, religious clothing and denominational decals so no one can see them? Does Matthew 6:1 mean we should not let others see what we believe? Does it mean we should keep our faith quiet and to ourselves, is that what the Bible directs us to do in this passage? Really, what is this passage about? What is Jesus getting at with his lesson on religious etiquette? And, what does any of this have to do with Lent? Frankly, it has everything to do with Lent. Jesus is talking about our intentions in this passage. He s referring to our sincerity behind our acts of religious piety. He is asking us, Do your acts of piety truly reflect your relationship with God, or are they simply to glorify yourself? That question calls for serious self-examination. On this first day of Lent, where are you in your relationship with God? Why do you worship the way you do? When you come to church, is it to worship God in fellowship with the Christian community, or do you come out of a sense of obligation or to be seen? When praying, either in church or at a Cursillo closing, do you raise your hands in praise as the Spirit moves you, or do you raise your hands in praise so the person next to you can see how holy you are? When you put on your cross or crucifix, do you wear it to remind you of Christ s sacrifice or because you want others to think you are holy? When you say the General Confession on Sunday, do you say it mindful of how far you have drifted from God because of your sins and omissions, or do you say it because it s part of the liturgy? What is at the heart of your worship?

4 Truth be known, all of us have drifted from God since the last time we gathered for an Ash Wednesday service. Truth be known, some of us are like the Prodigal Son in that we have drifted so much from God that we are still in the far country. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows are true intentions. That s why the season of Lent is so important for all of us. It s a time to examine our intentions and to set them right. It s a time to return to the true source of our strength and life. With this in mind, how will you keep the season of Lent this year? Will the season of Lent be a big show as we use it to exhibit how holy we are, or to flaunt what we are giving up? We can, for the sake of appearances, pretend to be as holy and as religious as the next guy. We can prove our piety by giving up sugar, candy and alcohol, all for the world to see. Or, will Lent be for us a time to give up that which is keeping us from God- --a time for us to consider where our relationship really lies with Jesus, a time for us to rethink our priorities in life? Matthew 6:1 does not tell us not to practice our piety in public, but to be aware of why we are doing it in public. Is it to honor and glorify God or is it so that we can be seen doing it so that we are glorified? Throughout history Lent has been the time for us to get right with God. It is a time for us to give up that which separates us from God, which separates us from doing what it is God has called us to do and be. It is a season to give up that which takes precious time away from our children and to get rid of those things which keep us from having a quality of life.

5 If you want to live a holy Lent, consider taking on as much as you give up. Add into your life time to get to know God. Spend time in prayer, in devotional reading, or journaling. Spend time with family and friends. Take the time to rediscover who you are and who God wants you to be. Ask God to help you work on your relationships, with God, with your neighbor, with your boss, with your employees, with your colleagues, with your friends, with your family, and with yourself. Lent always begins with Ash Wednesday as a reminder of how fleeting life is. It is an opportunity to touch, to feel, and to see that we were made from dust and to dust each and every one of us will return. Ash Wednesday reminds us that life is short; it is a precious gift from God, a gift we need to cherish. In other words, the meter of life is running and our time here is limited. What are we going to do with the time we have left? When I make the sign of the cross with ashes on your foreheads today, my prayer is that it will truly be an outward and visible sign of an inward and visible turning of your hearts toward God so that you are in right relationship with God again. Only you and God know what it is in your faith walk you need to work on. Whether that needs to be done in a very public way that others may see or whether it is done behind closed doors as you get on your knees in prayer with God, that is for you and God to decide. Just know that if your acts of piety, even the public ones, are done with humility and in praise of God, then you are keeping a holy Lent. AMEN