A sermon by the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, written for and delivered at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Tybee Island, GA, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, which is Ash Wednesday.
Primary Bible Reading
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness 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 somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces 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.
The Reason for the Season... of Lent
By the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, Program Manager for New Starts, ELCA
How often have you had a conversation in which someone asks you, “What are you giving up for Lent?” Especially around this time of year and especially if someone sees the ashes on your forehead after this service, it’s pretty common. It’s even decently common among non-Christians or Christians whose denominational traditions don’t emphasize Lent very much. This is one of those Christian holy days / seasons that has permeated mainstream culture enough to at least get a small nod.
If you are planning to fast or abstain from something this Lent, that’s great. The church is here to support and encourage you in that. But, these readings are here to remind us that fasting is actually not the point of Lent. Fasting can be a useful part of Lent, but it’s not the reason for the season. If there is a reason for the season, you would find it in 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “we entreat you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God.”
Being reconciled to God is about identifying what might be keeping you from drawing closer to God. It’s about naming the elephant in the room of your life. It’s about finding ways to close the gap by being honest with ourselves, with one another, and with God. Thankfully, we don’t have to do the work of reconciliation all by ourselves. Jesus Christ did it for us through his life, death, and resurrection. But, traditionally, practices like fasting, prayer, and giving have helped us to receive that grace more willingly.
That’s why Jesus spends time in the Sermon on the Mount addressing how we give, how we pray, and how we fast. They are all tied to humility before others and humility before God. When we are humble enough to recognize our sin, it becomes easier to see our need for grace and turn toward God. Then, by grace, God closes the gap between us.
When you give to people in need, do so quietly so that the giving is not primarily about getting attention, praise, or respect. This flies in the face of the way western cultures usually practice charity. Wealthy people can become famous philanthropists by making big donations and slapping their name onto signs, buildings, or foundations. They might as well sound the trumpets so that everyone sees how generous they are. But we can do that with smaller things too, like through the giving statements and the ways that we use charitable giving as tax write-offs. It might not be as loud as a trumpet, but it’s worth thinking about why we really choose to give. Is our motivation love or is it something else? So Jesus says that you are better off giving secretly, with not even your left hand knowing what your right hand is doing.
When we pray, when we take on new spiritual practices, the point is not to show others how holy we are. The problem, of course, is not public prayer of all kinds. (At least I hope it isn’t because I’m a professional public pray-er.) Rather, the problem is pride and attention-seeking – making the prayer more about me and how others see me than about God, to whom I am speaking. We need to drop any semblance of a “holier than thou” attitude because it’s conceited and wrong, not to mention off-putting and bad for Christian witness. So Jesus says that you are better off praying secretly.
Finally, Jesus talks about fasting. When we fast, we don’t need to announce it to others. We don’t need to rub it in people’s faces that we are doing something special for God because we are better than them. Whatever form your fasting takes, do it with humility and grace. Be more flexible than rigid. For example, even the ancient desert monks and nuns did not fast absolutely. They taught that if you are visiting someone and they serve you food that goes against your fast, it is better to quietly accept their hospitality and break the rule of your fast than to bring up your discipline. The only law we follow must be love. So Jesus says to wash and moisturize your face. (Yes, Jesus is pro-skin care!)
So, are you giving something up for Lent? Yes, no, maybe. That’s not really the point. The point is to practice humility in order to be reconciled to God and be reconciled to one another. That is the true reason for the season. Amen.
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