ASH WEDNESDAY: MATTHEW 6

Rev. Dr. Kristin Johnston Largen, President

Thank you for joining us on Ash Wednesday as we begin this Lenten Journey together with Christ to the cross and the empty tomb.

Matthew 6: 1-6

Concerning Almsgiving

"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.

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. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Concerning Prayer

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. 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.

Unique Rhythms

Rev. Kristin Johnston Largen, Ph.D.

One of the things that I love about living in Dubuque is the four beautiful seasons we get to experience here every year. I love the rhythm of the different seasons, and the gifts each one brings to us. [In his book Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer describes this well. For winter, he writes that one gift is “the reminder that times of dormancy and deep rest are essential to all living things.”]

In a similar way, I have a deep appreciation for the church’s liturgical calendar, with its unique rhythms that draw us into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and sustain us in lives of faithful discipleship.

For me, the gifts Lent offers to us are time and space for intentional reflection, repentance and returning: reflection on God’s deep love for us; repentance for all the ways we turn from and reject that love; and returning to the arms of Christ—to right relationship with God and with each other.

Ultimately, we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to facilitate this spiritual formation—we are not able to turn to God on our own. And at the same time, the season of Lent offers us 40 weekdays to use this time well, including—but not limited to—the traditional Lenten disciplines of almsgiving, fasting and prayer. It matters less how you chose to enter into the practices of Lent and more that you enter in at all. After all, these seasons don’t last forever; their gifts are to be appreciated and enjoyed while they last.

I pray that your heart might be open to the call of the Holy Spirit to walk the season of Lent with openness, expectation and trust; and that the seeds of Lent sown in these next few weeks might bear rich fruit in your life into Easter and beyond.

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