“Practice your piety”

          In Protestant circles, it sometimes feels like we don’t fully read Jesus’ words about piety and hypocrisy… 

in fact, it can feel like all we read of Matthew Chapter Six is: “Beware of practicing your piety.” 
Yet, Jesus is not warning us off spiritual practices, 
but their misuse. 
He is saying in effect:

         Practice your faith, don’t project it… 
don’t make it into a projection of an idealized form of yourself, 
an advertisement about you being so great, 
so religious, so pious.

         Ground your practice in the Kingdom of Heaven
—God’s ongoing gentle transformation of the world… 
don’t base it on your own righteousness… 
don’t make your faith practice into a place to be infected with self-righteousness.

         True piety flow from integrity, 
words and deeds expressing outwardly the goodness of the Spirit changing your heart… 
don’t be a hypocrite, 
using religion as a mask to hide the needs of an unhealthy soul.

         All that you do, 
do it in response to what God has already done for you, 
God has shattered scarcity, 
another name for the grace of God is Generous Gift… 
don’t think for a moment that you’re earning anything with your Lenten devotion, 
it’s always a response to unearned, unmerited, goodness given by God.

         We practice piety because we are kingdom people—an emphasis on the We, 
we aren’t doing any of this alone, 
faith is a community effort, 
and the results are for the sake of the common good… 

don’t be a lone ranger, 
don’t make this season into one of self-aggrandizement.

Prayer

 

         Alms is collecting money or food for a person or organization to help them… 
the sharing of what we have with those who have less;
it is an act of mutual support, 
creating a level space where all can participate in community.

         Prayer is our calling out to God, “Thy Kingdom Come.” 
Asking that we may experience and participate in what God is doing to bless the world.

         Fasting is the practice of abstaining from something that separates us from God, neighbor, or creation… 
we are embodying our hunger for a world made right.

 

         This Lent, I would like to offer three Christian practices inspired by the “Faithful Journey” training our congregation has been doing: 
Conversation, 
Reading, 
and Discernment.

 

         Have God Conversations this Lent… 
Our goal is that members of Spruce Run have 120 of them before the end of 2023
—by my last count we’ve already had 26 of them, 
that’s a little over 20%, 
imagine if we have another 26 during the season of Lent.

         When you have God Conversation 
-don’t make them about yourself, 
-don’t turn them into monologues, 
-don’t clog them up with unfamiliar language, 
-don’t pressure your conversation partner into uncomfortable agreements.

         Instead, listen, 
-hear what God is already up, find out how we can catch up to what God is already doing… 
-meet the other person where they are, let the conversation flow freely… 
-if you get stuck ask questions like, “What’s the why behind that choice? 
Gee, what’s that feel like? 
How’s that shaping you?”

 

         Regularly read Scripture this Lent…. 
         Read widely—Pair Matthew with Exodus or Isaiah, 
or read through the Wisdom Canon—Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, 
or read through Romans and the Corinthians letters… 
         or read deeply 
take the Gospel lesson each Sunday and read it over aloud multiple times, 
letting a word for phrase bubble up and catch you and interpret you.

         When you regularly read scripture, 
-don’t do it in an uninterested manner, like it isn’t meant for you, 
-don’t let an initial boredom or idleness or aversion to strangeness steer you wrong, 
-don’t give up!

         Instead, let scripture do its work on you, 
nestle into Matthew’s good news so the readings in church are already familiar, 
read the Wisdom books so you’ll be ready for our summer project around them,
let God’s Word capture your imagination!

 

         Discern where God is calling you this Lent…
Maybe once a week find half an hour to consider what is happening in your week in light of these three questions:
         -What does the world need?
         -What do other people say I do well?
         -What brings me joy?

         When you Discern God’s calling, 
-don’t start to think you’re deeper than you are, 
-don’t poopoo other people’s callings, 
-don’t make it a head game.

         Instead, genuinely seek direction, with an open mind seek God’s calling on your life.

 

         Beware practicing your piety in a hypocritical way, but rejoice, we get to practice the Kingdom of Heaven
—taking time to notice how God is transforming our souls, 
focused afresh on the faithfulness of God.

Amen.