Lent Devotions: Lent is not a holiness contest
The following devotion was featured in Unfinished, Church Anew’s Lent in a Box series for 2023. Learn more about the resources here.
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.
In this season of Lent, there were (and maybe still are) traditionally three ways you could “work on” repentance - turning back to God. The first is by giving, the second is by praying, the third is by fasting. These are all the things Jesus warns about in this part of his sermon on the mount. It’s important to note that the sermon he is preaching isn’t just this part about giving, praying, and fasting, but it’s a continuation of the sermon that also contains the beatitudes, and reminders we are salt and light in the world for the Kingdom of God. It’s all one sermon.
One sermon that is systematically taking the typical way of doing things and flipping them all upside down. When you remember this, you realize that this part of the sermon is no different. Jesus takes the things that people usually do in order to repent, to turn around, to turn back to God, and says - why? Why are you doing these? For others? For yourself? For God?
“When you give, don’t blow a trumpet so everyone knows you do it. When you pray, don’t do it loudly and where everyone can see you, so they see how holy you are. When you give something up, don’t put on a sad face so that people ask you what’s wrong.”
You know exactly what Jesus is talking about. It’s not that fasting, giving, and praying are somehow no longer good. Instead, Jesus wants people to think about their motivation.
Faith is not a holiness contest. It is not something you win by doing it the loudest and the best.
Lent is a season to reflect on our own motivations so we can turn around, repent, and then use those things (prayer, giving, fasting) instead to reconnect to God and each other - the way it was always meant to be.
Prayer
Merciful God, we thank you for the gifts of prayer, giving, and fasting. Help us see the ways in which we have used these gifts for our own gain, and instead help us use them to turn towards you and each other. Amen.
Rev. Natalia Terfa
Natalia is a Lutheran pastor and author who lives in Minneapolis with her hubby, kiddo, and kitty babies. She loves to bake, to read, practice yoga, and find nature adventures. She is passionate about the church of the future, one with no boundaries and filled to the brim with love and grace and laughter and snark and a lot of fellow “not that kind of Christians.”
Natalia co-hosts Cafeteria Christian, a podcast for people who love Jesus but aren’t so sure about his followers.
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