Meditation on Matthew 6:1-7 and
16-21
Ash Wednesday 2013
‘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.
‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty
phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of
their many words.
‘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 shall also be. (Matthew
6:1-7, 16-21)
***
Jim and I got
back from our trip to Georgia on Monday night, driving about 90 miles west on
highway 212 on what some would call a white-knuckled journey. Our return had already been delayed a day because
of the snowstorm on Sunday when our plane touched down at the Minneapolis/St.
Paul airport. Blowing snow and ice made roads slick and driving conditions
“difficult.” The forecast was for more
snow, wind, and falling temperatures.
But we needed to
get back. So we set out from the Cities late Monday morning. Jim was driving.
Snowplows were working to clear the main roads, and a light snow was gently
falling. All seemed to be well. As we
traveled west, however, the wind picked up and road conditions worsened.
When we reached
Renville County, visibility had gradually lessened until it was impossible, at
times, to see beyond the front of our vehicle.
Our Santa Fe shuddered as wind gusts pushed snow and ice against our
car. We were engulfed in a fierce white cloud.
Then, suddenly,
a slow-moving snowplow appeared in the road ahead. Jim had to make a
decision. He could attempt to speed up
and pass the snowplow in the icy, slushy mess, but without being able to see if
there were cars or trucks coming toward us in the left lane.
Or he could
blindly follow slowly in the white cloud, hoping he would not misjudge the
snowplow’s position and crash, but also taking a chance that someone might
suddenly come upon us from behind and not be able to see us—until it was too
late.
What we couldn’t
do was what I wanted to do—stop and go back.
We had to keep on going, hoping and believing that God would protect us,
guide us, and lead us safely home.
The rest of the
world went dim and nothing else mattered as I lifted up silent prayers for His
help. They were cries that came from deep within the heart. I strained to hear
God’s reassuring voice and feel His comforting presence in the storm. And then, just as suddenly as the white cloud
had come over us, it lifted enough to allow Jim to see to pass the snowplow and
we continued on.
I silently thanked
God for being with us, watching over us, and showing us the way He wanted us to
go.
The journey
back home was truly a journey of faith.
***
And that is how it is with our spiritual
lives, especially during Lent. This is when we seek to allow the rest of the
world to go dim; nothing else matters as we make time and space to draw closer
to the Lord each day—to humbly cry out to Him in our need, to listen for His
voice, and feel His comforting presence.
We see only
dimly, traveling through this world in our earthly bodies like vehicles in a
Minnesota snowstorm. We don’t know what
lies ahead or what trouble may be whirling around us. And we certainly don’t
know God’s thoughts or plans. We can
only trust in the Spirit to be our strength and guide—until He leads us safely
to our heavenly home.
We look forward
to when we can finally see everything clearly—and fully understand. When we are
no longer living in these perishable bodies that were created from dust and
someday will return to the dust of the earth. We look forward to when we are
living in resurrected, God-perfected bodies. When we see our Savior face to
face!
During this Holy
Season, though we see our risen Christ only through the eyes of faith, we will
seek to engage fully our hearts and minds as we gather for worship on Sunday
mornings and Wednesday nights. We are not just going through the motions of
rituals and liturgical responses. We are
not gathering for our entertainment or to impress anyone with how religious we
are. We come to worship, to hear from God, and be pleasing to God alone.
This is what Jesus
is talking about when in Matthew he says, “Beware of practicing your piety
before others in order to be seen by them.”
He warns us not to
be like the hypocrites whose religious practices of giving to the poor,
praying, and fasting are done solely as a performance—so that others will think
they are good. They are meaningless
practices because they do not come from a grateful heart that loves the Lord
and wants to serve Him.
When we gather to
worship and pray in our churches and when we go to a private place to pray by
ourselves or when we engage in acts of kindness and compassion without anyone
but God knowing, then we are building up our treasure in Heaven, as Jesus calls
us to do.
Let us, especially during
this Holy Season of Lent, find time to allow the things of the world to grow
dim—and let nothing else matter but hearing His voice, feeling His comforting
presence, and following after Him.
May it truly be for
all a journey of faith that leads us to the foot of the cross where our Savior
suffered and died for our sins.
Let us build up a
treasure that neither moth nor rust can destroy. A treasure that no thief can break in and
steal.
And where our
treasure is, there our hearts shall also be.
Let us pray.
Holy God, thank you for always being with us, watching over
and protecting us, and leading us on the way you want us to go. Forgive us when
we haven’t spent enough time with you alone in prayer and meditating on Your
Word. Forgive us when we have been too busy for you and not grateful enough for
all you have done for us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Forgive us when we
have sought the favor of human beings instead of seeking only to please You
with the acts of kindness and compassion you lead us to do in secret. Let us feel your comforting presence as we
seek to humbly walk beside Your Son.
Take us to the foot of the cross, show us Your Will, and help us to
obey. In Christ we pray. Amen.
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