"Back on Center"

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Jesus talks about our "piety." That's kind of an old-fashioned word, isn't it? It conjures up pictures of an old man, sitting at a rough table, with hands folded and eyes closed, thanking God for the abundance of his table. One of my favorite movies is "Babbett's Feast." It's the story of a French woman, a world-class chef, who finds herself living in the midst of a religious community, trying to deal with their strict piety. Images conjured up by the word speak to a simplicity and purity of life that eschews anything frivolous or fancy.

But the word, "piety" actually just refers to the way we express and live out our faith - the way we worship, the way we normally respond to God in our daily life. What Jesus says in this text is simply, "let your response to God be true - out of your heart, out of the things you treasure, out of the center of your relationship with God." Piety is not something that is enforced from the outside – a set of rules or practices we do because we are told we must; that is where we believe the Roman church has gotten it wrong – as well as many fundamentalists. Whether we do or don’t eat fish on Friday, or say our “Our Fathers,” or whether we dance, drink or play cards does not determine the health of our relationship with God. They are poor thermometers of the spirit. Neither is piety something we do for the sake of others – whether as a good example for them, or because others expect it of us. That’s what Jesus focuses on in the lesson – those who make a grand show of their piety. In fact, that kind of piety usually puts people off – it’s just religious showboating. But God certainly is not impressed. Piety is nothing more than the response of the open heart to God. The heart of this passage is the last verse, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The only question we have to ask ourselves, in regard to our piety, is “where is our treasure?” What is it that we value? And how, in our life, does that come to expression?

Today, Jesus calls forth from us a focused life - a life that continually looks toward, and grows out of, it's center in him. That is where we run into problems. We get up in the morning and, immediately, we're off to the races - whether it's our job or our "honey-do" list. Our days are full of wondering what we should do, what we should buy, where we should go, what our wife or husband or boss wants of us. We sink very easily into a kind of "works-righteousness." We live our life in response to the needs of others, or in response to our own cravings and desires, thinking that, if we do enough, if we buy enough, if we do the right things - then life will be full and meaningful. But, instead, our life rings hollow, because its focus is off, it doesn't come out of the continuing give-and-take of our relationship with God.

I’d like you to think of the best relationship you've ever had in your life, and what made or makes it so good. Chances are, at heart, there is a deep friendship that you cherish. It's not a relationship based on a set of rules, but something that flows naturally, founded on love and respect for one another. It's the kind of relationship where you can be yourself with that person. And that relationship calls forth the best out of you, because that person holds this idea that you are pretty special, and you don't want to disappoint them.

When you are with them, you don't have to tout the relationship to others, because they aren't a "prize." They are your friend. On the other hand, you're never embarrassed to celebrate the relationship, to be like the crazy guy in the diamond commercial, who stands in the middle of town, yelling, "I love this woman!" The thing that's good in the commercial is that there isn't anyone else around. His statement is really meant for her ears alone. Whether anyone else is around is beside the point.

That is what Jesus is telling us. That is the heart of Christian spirituality. If our piety is done for the sake of others, it's just show. It's meaningless. Piety is a very personal thing. One person may pray out loud. Another may pray in their closet. One may eat to the glory of God; another may fast to his glory. One may dress up to come to church, to make it special. Another may wear blue jeans, out of a heart that is comfortable with God, and also regards that as special. There aren't any hard-and-fast rules to piety - no "shoulds" or "should nots;" those who read that into this passage are missing the point. Jesus is just saying, "Don't let your praying be for others – to impress them. Pray out of a heart that is centered in God." "Don't fast so that others will see you and say, 'Oh, what a great Christian!' Let it be between you and God, flowing out of your relationship with him." "Don't store up things, so that you can make a big show, and everyone will think, 'Oh, how successful, or talented, or smart, or blessed she is!' Let your riches be in the depth of your relationship with God. Then you will be truly rich!"

These next forty days afford us an opportunity to experiment with a deeper spiritual life. In the early church, it was a time when initiates prepared themselves for baptism by practicing the spiritual disciplines of mediation, prayer, almsgiving and fasting. Those are still good disciplines for us to use to help center our lives more fully in God. Jesus' warning, however, is that they can just as easily take us in the other direction - just as a car can take us either in the direction we want to go, or in the opposite direction. They are just vehicles God can use to help us focus our spiritual life.

I hope that you will take these forty days to ask yourself what one thing you can do to help you refocus your relationship with God. Maybe it might mean getting up fifteen minutes earlier to meditate and pray. Maybe it means simplifying your schedule a bit, to allow more time for reflection. Or putting up some post-it notes, to remind you that God is with you in everything you do, and that he cares for you. Maybe it's putting some scripture verses to heart. Or taking on a project - a spiritual diary, or a prayer quilt, or creating a place for meditation - something you can work on every day for a few minutes. Be creative with it, and let it flow out of your relationship with God.

The end of this exercise, is to develop a piety that is your own, to bring your heart closer to the heart of the God who loves you. Like any good relationship, it takes time and care to mature your relationship with God, a little humor and creativity, and a lot of love to keep it going strong. If you truly treasure that relationship, take the time and effort. That is why Jesus says, at the end of this passage, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." "As the One who loves you, holds you in His great heart, hold him as the great treasure of your heart."