Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 6"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. Verse 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. Verse 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, Verse 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Verse 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. Verse 6But 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.
Verse 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. Verse 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, Verse 18so 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.
Verse 19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; Verse 20but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. Verse 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Devotion
On this day of ashes, we are reminded that we are dust. In many communities we receive ashes in the form of a cross on our forehead while remembering our humanness and God's claim on our lives and future. We then go out into the world with this symbol of our faith prominently marked on our foreheads, having just heard Jesus' gospel words urging us to give alms, pray and fast in secret. Hmmm... As we begin our Lenten journey our hearts are turned again to seek God’s mercy and justice in the world and in our lives. We venture on this journey not to receive the accolades of the world, but rather to embody more fully the righteousness that only God can give. So as we remember and claim our humanness, we again turn away from the praise that the world gives and instead cling to God’s promises for all creation.
Prayer
We cling, gracious God, to your promises made manifest to us through Christ our Lord. Amen.