Today Is the First Sunday of Lent

We have it all wrong when we talk about giving up something for Lent.
The true practice of Lent, has nothing to do with diet –
nothing to do with giving something up –
and everything to do with living your faith –
putting flesh on what you say you believe –
enacting your faith.

Isaiah 58:1-12
Matthew 6:1-8,16-18

Lent is a fascinating time in the church year that Presbyterians are only beginning to appreciate.

Used to be, as you know, we never observed Lent in Presbyterian churches.
But, today we see this time as an opportunity to attend to the parts of our lives that we often neglect.
During this time before Easter we are challenged to open ourselves in new ways to the Spirit’s transforming power – not unlike Jesus did at the beginning of his ministry.

From the very earliest times, Christians took time out before Easter to reflect on their faith, cultivate it, and prepare for a most joyous celebration of Easter.

Remembering that Jesus took 40 days off to prepare for the beginning of his ministry, the church sets aside these 40 days prior to Easter for us to get ready.

This is a time for us to explore the mysteries of the universe,
looking beneath the surface –
within ourselves –
examining our own motives and desires,
and ascertaining exactly what our commitment is:
to what,
to whom,
and what it means.

Lent is meant to remind us that the days are getting longer –
Spring is right around the corner.

Actually, the word Lent comes from an ancient word that meant "springtime," –
that period of the calendar during which the days lengthen - in the northern hemisphere, anyway.
Because the church season always fell at that time of year, the name came to apply the season as well.

In our part of the world, all around us new life is preparing to break out as the weather turns.
Signs of life are preparing to bud right before our eyes.
And, our task during this season is to prepare ourselves to see these signs when they occur.

Like I said in the newsletter, we need Lent!

Lent encourages us to look within ourselves to see how we have confused popular cultural values with Christian faith.

Through sustained focus on the life and ministry of Jesus, Lent can help us resist the pressures of this culture.

Lent can remind us that we are called to continue his ministry:
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Consequently, Lent prepares us for an Easter that is more than bunnies and eggs –
an Easter that begins a whole new reality –
a whole new world.

From the beginning, part and parcel of the Lenten observance has been alms-giving.
The purpose of fasting is not so much a bodily discipline and it is a sharing discipline.
Becoming aware of the needs of others,
and responding to them with generous gifts of our time and talents and money are particularly transforming.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, we have lost the complete meaning of fasting, and alms-giving, and righteous living.

Clearly it is not a new problem.
Even before Jesus’ time, prophet after prophet after prophet took the people to task about their misguided fasting.

Isaiah could say to the devout:
Do you think the LORD wants you to give up eating and to act as humble as a bent-over bush?
Or to dress in sackcloth and sit in ashes?
Is that what you call fasting?
Do you think I will be pleased with that?

They just didn’t get it.

And, quite frankly, we just don’t get it either.

Today, we think fasting has something to do with diet, don’t we?

Maybe you saw the article not too long ago. It was about this guy, Mussa Zoabi of Israel.
Mussa Zoabi claims to be the oldest person alive.
He says he's 160 years old.
Unfortunately, Guinness Book of World Records isn't going to print his name simply because his age can't be verified.
Mr. Zoabi is older than most records keeping systems will go.
But here's the interesting thing!
However old he really is, Mussa Zoabi knows exactly how he managed to live so long.
He'll tell the secret to anybody who wants to know. He says: “Every day,” he says, “I drink a cup of melted butter or olive oil!”
Doesn't that sound like a great diet?

Maybe you heard about the Danish Diet.
I’m not making this up.
It’s a craze in Denmark.
All over people are eating horse food!
Hey! You don't see many sick horses, do you?! Health Department spokesman Haagen Schmidt, says that "especially young women keep on eating hay and raw oats!"
And they do it, he says, in spite of a tremendous surge in digestive problems reported by hospitals all over the country!

Surveys say that sixty percent of women in North America say they're on a diet!
Imagine that!

I am actually on two diets at this time – I just wasn’t getting enough to eat on one diet.

A Weight Watchers story is about a new client who had begun her diet.
She came in to be weighed after the first stressful week of the dieting.
She stepped on the scale and, lo and behold, she had lost a couple of pounds!
But the dieter wasn't too happy.
She complained.
She said: My friend comes here to Weight Watchers, and she told me she lost ten pounds the first week.
She said I'd lose ten pounds in the first week, too!
Well, the leader at Weight Watchers was a little disturbed.
She knew that you don't lose weight over night.
So she asked the dieter, a little indignantly:
Who told you that?! Is she a doctor?!
The woman shook her head.
Is she a nurse?! No, said the woman.
Well! Is she a nutritionist, or another Weight Watchers leader?! Negative again!
Well who is she?!
I think . . . said the newcomer, I think she's a liar!

Well, time and time again the prophets and Jesus reminded people in the past –
and reminds us today –
fasting has nothing to do with diet.

Of course, it is a lot easier for us to think that.
But, Micah tells us, Jeremiah tells us, Jesus tells us – what Isaiah tells us:
"The kind of fasting I want is this:
Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.
Share your food with the hungry
and open your homes to the homeless poor.
Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear,
and do not refuse to help your own relatives.”
Or, as one translator puts it:
"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.”

You see, for the ancient Jews, the goal of the faith is righteous living.
And there were three parts to righteous living:
fasting,
prayer,
and alms-giving.

Time and time again, folks went astray and thought fasting had something to do with diet –
self-deprivation was a whole lot easier to deal with than what the prophets and Jesus said God has in mind.
Fasting has to do with living your faith –
putting flesh on what you say you believe –
enacting your belief.

You see, we have it all wrong when we talk about giving up something for Lent.
The true practice of Lent, has nothing to do with diet – nothing to do with giving something up –
and everything to do with living your faith –
putting flesh on what you say you believe –
enacting your faith.

When Jesus addressed the crowd about correct methods of righteousness, everyone knew what he was talking about.
They knew about the three legs on the stool of righteous living.
These days we don’t like to read this passage –
the only time it is brought up in the Lectionary is for Ash Wednesday services.
So for folks that never go to Ash Wednesday services, never have an occasion to hear this in church, unless their pastor is somewhat eclectic in his or her approach to Scripture.
But, we need to hear these words.

Jesus does not say “Don’t fast.”
Jesus does not say “Don’t give alms.”
Any more than Jesus does not say “Don’t pray.”
But, we don’t hear that, do we.

He said: “It is good to put the disciplines of godly living into practice.”
Jesus assumes you will be praying – and even tells you how.
Jesus assumes you will give alms.
Jesus assumes you will fast –
But, he warns about making a show of things when you do these acts of faith –
these acts of godly living.

In fact, Jesus says it is not kosher to do faith acts for show.
Jesus was very clear that it is so important to do things for the right reasons.

English poet George Herbert was a skilled amateur musician.
He played in an orchestra of like-minded amateurs.
One afternoon he was on his way to meet with his friends for music-making.
On the road he encountered a man whose cart had become stuck in a muddy and watery ditch.
George Herbert stopped and helped the pedestrian.
Due to his good deed the poet arrived at his friend's house later than expected.
One of the musicians chortled, "Looks like you've missed all the music."
George Herbert replied, "Yes, but I will have songs at midnight."
George Herbert had the satisfaction of doing the Christ-like thing.
His motivation in helping another was pure and loving.

Peter Marshall could say "... Faith is belief plus what you do with that belief."

Jesus would agree with that statement.
But he goes further:
the righteous living Jesus talks about,
the godly acts Jesus talks about,
the faith Jesus talks about,
is a stealth faith.

Jesus warns against us doing all pietistic acts in public:
when you pray, go off by yourself and shut the door – and by the way, stop using all those empty phrases.
When you give alms – do it in secret, don’t even let one hand know what the other is doing.
When you fast – that is to say
when you work to break the chains of injustice,
or to get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
or to free the oppressed,
or when you share your food with the hungry,
or when you invite the homeless poor into your homes,
or when you put clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
or when you are available to your own families –
do it on your on your own time.

These are not things you seek publicity for.
These are not things you should call attention to.

For sure, these things are to be done –
but do it under the radar.
Wash your face and comb your hair.
Let know one suspect.

I think it is clear that we need to pay more attention to these admonitions.
This is essential to the faith that has been passed on to us.
We can choose to ignore it – to our peril.
Or, we can take it to heart and spend these 40 days in Lent to deepen our faith and how it impacts our life – who we are and what we do.

To this end, I have prepared a little guide to help you focus on the essentials during this Lenten season as we prepare ourselves for that Great Easter Day.
Take one home with you.
Take two or three – or four or five.
Give them to others in your family,
or a friend,
or a neighbor,
or someone you think might like to know about our church and what we do here.

If the goal for Lent is to prepare for Easter, I am convinced that you and I can have the very best Easter ever as we heed our scriptural readings.
Amen.

This sermon was a part of the worship service at Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, on this day, the first Sunday of Lent, March 13, 2011.