First Presbyterian Church
Ash Wednesday
Sermon for March 1, 2006
by Pastor Susan Barnes

Listen for the word of God as it is found in Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

6:1 "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.

2 "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.

3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 "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.

6 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.

16 "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.

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

18 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.

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;

20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Last week, our youth participated in the 30 hour famine. It is two days of learning about world hunger while drinking nothing but fruit juice three times a day. Except. Except the point of this is to learn about hunger, and to feel hungry, not to make anyone sick. We have a few youth who have medical conditions that require them to eat in order to take medication to stay healthy. And so they ate, but not in front of the others.

One youth complained that he was so hungry, he didn't feel like doing anything. They learned when you're hungry, it's hard to think about anything else, They were tired all the time. Expecting hungry people to meet or learn or organize is unrealistic.

But I did see that the youth did not look dismal. Every time I went down to the youth room, the youth looked happy. They were together, and they supported one another. When they didn't support one another, an adult reminded them of that. One youth said, “I'm so hungry.” A friend, one of those who had to have food for medical reasons said, “I'm not.” The adult said, “That's not helpful!”

I didn't ask them if fasting made them feel more holy. I doubt that our youth are in danger of behaving too piously in public. Fasting still serves a good purpose.

One priest said that “the disciple who can fast, who can depend on God for sustenance for a whole day or two, will not be easy prey to purveyors of instant gratification and immediate solutions” like advertising, which promises rapid and empty rewards.

The disciple who can pray, who can depend on God's judgment rather than the worlds' valuation, will not be at the mercy of popularity or fashion. 1

And that's what spiritual disciplines do. They help us focus on what is important. When we give alms, when we practice stewardship, it makes our priorities clear. Our hearts are not with pleasure and comfort at all costs. Our hearts are with the poor, the hungry, and the needy.

We live in the promise of God's grace. We live knowing we are mortal.

This Ash Wednesday, we put ashes on our foreheads. “God's love has reached all the way to earth, to the dust from which we have been made, and made …with tender mercy and loving care, just like that dust God took in hand to shape the first creatures, man and woman. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We may be dust, but dust that we are, we are loved—loved, made whole, and made new by the resurrection of Jesus, who has shown us in his death and resurrection that nothing can separate us from the love of God.” That's the heavenly treasure in our hearts, that neither moth nor rust can consume and thieves cannot steal.

“Nothing can separate us from God's love. That is the secret scratched in the ash and imposed on our foreheads. Nothing can separate us from God's love.” 2

1 Wells, Samuel. “Holiness: Simplicity.” Christian Century, 2-23-00 .

2 Walton, Jon M. “Imposition,” Journal for Preachers, Lent 06, p. 39.