Lent: Sermon on the Mount “… an uprising of peace, freedom, justice, and compassion.” (126) Week 29: Your Secret Life Matthew 6:1-18

Old Testament Reading “God does not see as mortals see; we look on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Matthew 5 Appearance Blessed are the Romans for they are rich and powerful? You have heard it said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Stick to the road. Heart Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. But I say to you, ‘Be reconciled.’ Extend the road.

Appearance Be loudly, publicly religious. Matthew 6:1-18 Appearance Be loudly, publicly religious. Heart Be privately prayerful and generous.

Matthew 6:1-18 The World Is Not a Stage “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. http://www.circusperformers.com/sites/default/files/performer/stilllivingstatues_angels2.jpg

“When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘play-actors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. http://pictures.kylereed.com/ForeignTravel/Europe2/HumanStatueMan.jpg

They get applause, true, but that’s all they get They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LWTuBW8KyXs/T4R_Kae_UJI/AAAAAAAAAbU/RqOA726M1ys/s1600/Living_Statues_03.jpg

“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.

Keep us alive with three square meals. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what’s best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.

“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part. http://www.human-statues.co.uk/Images/Living%20Statues/Three-Graces-Human-Statues.jpg

“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. http://farplaces.net/images/PlaceImages/Rome/RomeHumanStatue.jpg

“It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention- getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.” http://www.humanlivingstatues.co.uk/dickens%20tops%20opt.jpg

Appearance Not so much wrong as empty. Public attention is all you get Appearance Not so much wrong as empty. Public attention is all you get. Public praise Heart ‘Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ (vs 4, 6, 18) Personal transformation ‘Saint’

Appearance Going through the motions Look holy Heart Being moved by God Become holy

Heart In privacy and quiet, practice giving, praying, fasting. “If through physical practice a lazy slug can end up a lean and energetic runner, then through spiritual practice an impatient and self-obsessed egotist can become a gentle, generous, and mature human being.” (137)

“Jesus offers a model for the kind of simple, concise, private prayer that he recommends. His model prayer consists of four simple but profound moves. First, we orient ourselves to God. We acknowledge God as the loving parent whose infinite embrace puts us in a family relationship with all people, and with all of creation. And we acknowledge God as the glorious holy mystery whom we can name but who can never be contained by our words or concepts.

Second, we align our greatest desire with God’s greatest desire Second, we align our greatest desire with God’s greatest desire. We want the world to be the kind of place where God’s dreams come true, where God’s justice and compassion reign. Third, we bring to God our needs and concerns— our physical needs for things like food and shelter, and our social and spiritual needs for things like forgiveness for our wrongs and reconciliation with those who have wronged us.

Finally, we prepare ourselves for the public world into which we will soon reenter. We ask to be guided away from the trials and temptations that could ruin us, and we ask to be liberated from evil. (MRBW 137-138)