DAY 23: March 15, 2021 Monday of Lent 4- Matthew 6: 1-4
Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. – Matthew 6:1-4
Giving to the needy is our topic for today. When the offering is taken, do you put your check in face up or face down? Do you put it face up so people down the row can see how well you give? Do you cough just as the offering plate goes by so people will take notice. Do you slam dunk your offering? Or, do you put it face down so nobody knows? Or, better yet, do you seal your offering in an envelope?
Do you give to a cause to get your name on the Gold level contributors? Or the silver level? Or the platinum level? It feels good to see your name under one of those levels or on a brochure or on a plaque or inscribed on a building. Do you serve on a committee to put it on your resume? Maybe there is a part of you that does good things to get a reward. We’ve all got egos. We like it when people notice us, when they honor us. Sometimes we don’t shy away from tooting our own horn. We might do good things to get a reward and that reward might be to get our name on a plaque or get recognition in a Sunday service. That’s why some folks do good things. For some, they do good things to get a reward from other people. The Savior reminds us, “Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
That right motive in our giving centers on Jesus. The right motive centers on the cross. Says St. Paul, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6,8
What were we when Christ died? Paul says, we were powerless. We were sinners. If we do acts of righteousness to procure our salvation, then we are saying that we aren’t powerless. We are saying that we are power-full. Yet, while we were power-less, while we had nothing to offer God, nothing by which we could say, “God, you’ve got to love me. Look at what a good boy I am. Look at what a good girl I am.” We have nothing to offer God. We are powerless. We are sinners. Our arrogance shrinks to nothing. We are dependent on a merciful and loving God to give us His grace. And, grace is what He gave us. [2]
O Lord our God, in Your Holy Sacraments you have given us a foretaste of the good things of Your kingdom: Direct us, we pray, in the way that leads to eternal life, that we may come to appear before You in that place of light where You dwell forever with Your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen [3]
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[1] Lift
High the Cross copyright © Ed Riojas Higher Things
[3]Collect for Monday of Lent 4, http://www.liturgies.net/Lent/LentenCollects.htm
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