Second Lenten message.  (Last week was Annunciation.  Previous week freedom from addictions)

Pastor Joe Fuiten, March 30, 2003

 

We received a $25,000 gift toward our new High School building.

I have announced my trip to Israel and Egypt for October 13-27, 2003.

 

War Note:

            In recent weeks I have tried to make the point that Israel is at the heart of this conflict in Iraq.  The Israeli press has been reporting that hundreds of Palestinian suicide bombers and fighters have been infiltrating into Iraq through Jordan and even more through Syria. David Dolan has written “PLO Col. Munir Maqdah told the A-Sennarah weekly newspaper that he has sent ‘hundreds of shahid fighters’ (suicide terrorists) to aid Saddam’s ‘struggle against the Western-Zionist plot to destroy Iraq’” Even though Israel has no technical connection to the fight, there is a spiritual connection in the minds of the radical Moslem world.  With the first suicide bombing in Iraq, we are seeing this connection more clearly than ever before.

 

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 6:1-8 page 684

1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 

            The passage is actually a very simple one.  Three acts are called acts of righteousness.  They are almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.  Each is an act that results in the Father’s blessing.  Because they are righteous acts, they are directed to the heavenly Father rather than to each other.

            This is the kind of passage from which you can draw lots of wrong ideas.  Let me list a few that I have known people to make:

            Since Jesus emphasizes the internal attitude, the external action doesn’t matter.  It is not necessary to actually give to the poor if you feel sympathetically toward them.  It is not necessary to actually pray so long as, in your heart, you feel prayerful.  You don’t have to actually fast, just believe in your heart that it is a good idea.  God doesn’t care about actual things on the outside, he only cares about thoughts on the inside.  I don’t need to be baptized as long as I am baptized in my heart. 

            I think for a long time I was under the impression that Jesus was only talking about the heart here.  I think that is wrong.  He is also talking about conduct.  This has had a major impact upon my life and ministry.  Because of this, I have tried to find ways that we as a congregation can bless those who are in need.  We have a number of ministries that do this.  I hope that we can start even more.  One ministry we are now looking at is starting a Thrift store.  It has great possibilities for helping people as well as providing jobs in the community.

 

            What Jesus was doing is this passage was taking the people’s idea of spirituality and correcting it, showing its true application.  Jesus wanted a true heart, not just a religious one.  Here is the truth.  Every true heart will be a religious one, but not every religious heart will be true to God.

            What kind of a heart do you have?  Is it merely religious or true?  I think it is good for Christian people to review their lives from time to time on this question.  We might be inclined to become more like the Pharisees than we really want to.

           

            When Jesus talked about helping the poor in a quiet way, he wanted to be sure that people were acting from the heart out of devotion for God and not just for the recognition.

            We should note that the poor are to be helped and that the Father blesses those who do help.  But what does this mean in our context?  In ancient times, there was no welfare system.  Today we all help the poor by our taxes.  Does that take care of it?  I asked that question of a Catholic priest once.  I said, if God blesses those who help the poor and if helping the poor is an act of penance, does that mean that when we pay our taxes it qualifies as an act of penance?  He understood the problem and just laughed without answering the question.

            The real issue here is that God cares for those who cannot care for themselves.  Today, we need a more expanded definition than just those who are financially poor because I think the Bible has a broader definition.  It should include the fatherless, the widow, the mentally disturbed, and victims of every kind of discrimination.  It also includes the victims of war which is why we are working to help refugees out of the Iraq war.

            Personally, I think this should be expanded to include children and youth.  They are almost always vulnerable and need our care and concern.  I believe that building the school is part of caring for our children.  I believe the youth group is an important part of the heart of God.

 

            These same principles apply to prayer.  There are not too many contexts today where public praying would be seen as a good thing.  The point is that prayer is at the heart of all the spiritual disciplines and is at the heart of this season.   Fasting without prayer just leaves you hungry.  Simplicity without prayer is poverty, not power. Watching without prayer is just tiredness. Solitude and silence without prayer is just quiet loneliness.

            The prayer is meant to be private because God wants a place that just belongs to you and God.  We believe in creating sanctuaries for congregational worship.  God wants your heart as a private sanctuary for himself.

            There are at least two different levels where this all works out.  The first level is doing the right things.  That includes prayer, fasting, and remembering the poor and weak.  Those are things we should do.  The second level is to do those right things with the right motive.  The right motive is private devotion to God.

            Right motive is very important.  If there is the right motive, we will never have to worry about the right act.  If we want to please God with our heart, the action will naturally follow without much effort.

            During this Lenten Season’s final weeks I am urging you to establish a physical place in your house or car where you can be alone with God.  If you cannot do that, at least find a place in your heart to be alone with God.  It is best if your actions can be unseen and unspoken.  That way it remains a private place with God.