January 29 - To the Holy One in Secret

Recorded Worship on YouTube

Matthew 6:1-8, 16-21

Deborah Laforet

To the Holy One in Secret

Let us pray.  May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by your Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day.  Amen.

I consider myself a humble person.  I’m not one to brag or boast.  I don’t trumpet my accomplishments, and in fact, I sometimes feel some guilty if I do boast, as I’m afraid of being seen as conceited or arrogant.

I still enjoy being recognized for my work.  I enjoy when people want to talk with me after a sermon I’ve preached.  It feels good to have someone say that worship was really meaningful for them or that they really appreciated some helpful advice or even just my presence during a difficult time.  I mean, just the other day, I had someone tell me they liked my hair, and that felt good.  It’s a bit of an ego boost when one is recognized for their work.

This passage we heard today is difficult.  Basically we’re told not to boast and that what we do should be done in secret, and that the Holy One who sees in secret will reward us.  Now, specifically, Jesus is talking about public piety, the way we observe our faith practices in public.  In today’s gospel, we heard about almsgiving, or charity, praying, and fasting.

There was a time when money gifted to the church was publicly shared.  You knew who the biggest givers were and you knew those who were “delinquent.”  Nowadays, we still sometimes know who the big givers are by the plaques put up on walls, by the names on buildings, or by philanthropists themselves boasting of their monetary gifts.  Just last weekend, I was at film.ca where they were inviting people to ‘buy a seat,’ and that they would then put the name of the giver on the seat.  Sure enough, we all looked at our seats and found people’s names on little plaques on each one.  Is this wrong?  It’s a great way to raise funds for an organization.  We all like to be recognized for our achievements, in one way or another, but is Jesus telling us that it’s wrong to want this, that we need to keep these practices secret so that only God knows?  Do we forfeit heavenly rewards for the earthly ones we receive when people know of our accomplishments?  Just a few verses earlier, in this gospel, we hear Jesus saying, "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)  Is this a contradiction?

Let’s look at the context.  Jesus is preaching from a hill, where there is a crowd at the base, listening, and the disciples at his feet.  Chapters 5, 6, and 7 are full of teachings.  Most scholars believe that these teachings are actually a compilation of the many teachings of Jesus throughout his ministry.  It was easier for the author to gather them all together in one sermon.  So, it’s no wonder that sometimes there are lessons that might seem to contradict each other.

Jesus was very aware of the politics surrounding him, and he put himself at risk by often commenting on it.  In this case, he was talking about the hypocrisy of religious practices, those in his own faith community, but also the Roman people, who occupied Israel.  He noticed the way people would announce or make a show of their financial gifts to the temple.  He watched people pray in public with a show for attention or those who used words that called attention to their piety.  He observed people who would groan and look sombre so that people would know they were suffering from their fasting and admire them for their willpower and strong faith.

Jesus saw all of this as a way of calling attention to oneself rather than calling attention to God.  In other words, they are receiving their rewards now; they are being admired and praised, and held up as worthy and committed to their faith.  People see these spectacles and wish they could be just as pious, just as holy, just as worthy of admiration.  The problem is that all the attention is on the spectacle, on the person giving, praying, or fasting, instead of on God, who is supposed to be the reason for this giving, this praying, and this fasting.

Theologian Gennifer Benjamin Brooks writes, that Jesus is “calling followers to more faithful observance of the traditions that demonstrate their commitment to the worship of God…one that reorients the approval of one’s worship practices away from the community and toward God, since it is only what God alone sees that matters.” (pg 116)

I do think it’s OK to be proud of our work and accomplishments.  It’s healthy to feel some pride and pat ourselves on or let others pat our back.  But if our giving, if our praying, if our devotional practices are about being seen by others, then our hearts are in the wrong place.

When a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?  Jesus would say yes.  God hears it.  If we give a gift anonymously, if we pray in secret, if we fast without telling anyone, God sees it, God hears it, and that is all that matters.

Doing these acts in public is OK, as long as our focus is on the glory of God.  We come to church on Sunday and we pray together.  We have people who write prayers and share them, and these prayers are directed towards the Holy One; they are meant to bring us all closer to God and to one another.  When Lent comes, some of us may choose to observe this time by refraining from sugar, or alcohol, or meat, or social media, or some might choose to walk more, or pray everyday, or read the bible daily.  This tends to be our version of fasting.  Again, we can share with each other how we observe this time and support one another as a community, but if we are always complaining, if we are boasting about how difficult it is, and how much we are suffering, for whom are we really doing it?

Jesus finishes this part of his sermon with, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal.”  When we hear these words, we often think of physical treasures, which definitely resonates with our consumerist and materialistic culture, but, Jesus says these words right after talking about earthy and heavenly rewards.  I wonder if Jesus was referring to earthly treasures like plaques and trophies, admiration from others, the accolades we accumulate, and the words of praise store.  Instead, Jesus says, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.  If our givings, our prayers, and our fasting is meant only for God, only for our spiritual selves, we are gaining treasures that last a lifetime, and beyond.

Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  I think we could also say, “For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.”  Next time you are giving to a charity or offering volunteer hours, think why you do it.  Next time, you pray, or offer words of prayer, think about where your prayer is directed.  Are you praying to connect with the Spirit or is it out of obligation or so that others might know you are pious and faithful?  When you fast, in whatever way you might do that, do you advertise on social media, make sure others know of your hardships and struggles, or do you remind yourself why you are fasting and use your struggles to become closer to the universe, to the divine?

For Jesus, it wasn’t about admonishing those people who do good and share that goodness.  We need to let our light shine.  Rather, it’s about why we do good.  Are we only doing it to be admired by others, to reap earthly rewards of praise and attention?  God sees all, and if we choose to to be anonymous with our gifts, God will know and we will know.  That’s what matters.  The reward that comes within, the reward that comes from our holy centre - these are the treasures that matter.  Where our treasure is, there also is our heart, our love, our true centre of peace and gratitude, that holy place where we have all we need.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Deborah Laforet