People are always asking me what I’m giving up for Lent – and I’ll be honest with you I never know what to say … in the past I’ve given up meat and gone vegetarian, I’ve given up alcohol and gone dry, I’ve given up buying food and eaten my way through the freezer – which meant that I’ve had to eat the oddest looking stuff by the time I reached Holy Week – and I’ve even given up giving up things – which is a bit hard to justify when you’re wearing a clergy collar... but somehow I never really know what to answer when people ask me the question - I always feel that I of all people should have a good answer but I never have one. If I give up meat, chocolate and a glass of wine for six weeks – I just end up just getting more and more grumpy – and no amount of putting oil on my head or washing my face seems to make me any less irritable to live with - and none of that is good news for the people around me – and this year that’s you! – and somehow making myself grumpy doesn’t quite feel to be in the spirit of Lent. And anyway – Jesus never said give up meat, or give up chocolate or give up alcohol did he – so where did all that come from anyway! ….. so I usually mumble something like “oh you know just the usual things” and walk away!
But that’s not being fair either … because Jesus did say something:
Jesus said: Whenever you give alms do not sound a trumpet before you… and he said… Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, and he said whenever you fast do not look dismal….
and the interesting thing about all these three ‘whenevers’ is the word ‘whenever’ -
When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
When you pray, go into your room and shut the door,
When you fast put oil on your head…
You see Jesus didn’t say ‘if you give alms’ or ‘if you pray’ or ‘if you fast’ … he didn’t give us the option .. he said ‘when you give alms, when you pray and when you fast …. the Greek word is hotan - which my dictionary tells me always implies an expectation that the thing really will happen.
Which is not what we usually hear in sermons about Jesus these days, is it … … we hear about Jesus being welcoming to all, forgiving to all, condemning religious hypocrisy, teaching that it is the spirit of the law which matters, not the letter - teaching that it is what comes out of the heart which matters, not what goes into the mouth - but we rarely hear sermons these days about Jesus - our Lord and master – telling us what to do When we give alms, When we pray, when we fast… without giving us the option to say - well actually I don’t do much of that! – I mean ‘don’t have to give alms, or pray or fast’ to be a Christian do you?
And of course this is all a particularly 20th and 21st rich western civilisation kind of problem. Most Christians over the ages, most Christians around the world today, in fact most people around the world today fully understand that almsgiving, praying and fasting…. just come with the religious territory, don’t they.
Our muslim neighours our jewish neighours here in Montreal would fully expect our leader - if he’s worth his salt - to be telling us to give alms, pray and fast - but they might then be quite surprised at how few Christians seem to take any notice of him and do it. I always remember one very rich looking Yemeni student passing my old church and then calling in one day …. she told me that she thought the church must be closed because she had never seen anyone ever going to church – in her country on a Friday you saw everybody dressed to go to the Mosque…
But of course, we’re Christians aren’t we – and that same Jesus, our Lord and Master also said…. Beware of practicing you piety before others in order to be seen by them. And he said Whenever you give alms do not sound a trumpet before you. And he said whenever you fast do not let your fasting be seen by others… so there’s the problem, Jesus expects us to give alms, pray and fast, but he doesn’t want us to tell other people that we’re doing it…..
He just sort of trusts us - that we’re committed enough, adult enough, sensible enough, driven enough and of course disciplined enough to get on and do it on our own…. sacrificial giving, daily prayer, acts of self-denial --- Oh that it were so easy… and if it’s not easy for me – then I don’t expect it really to be all that much easier for you.
I come to Morning and Evening Prayer here in this cathedral every day not because I’m a particularly pious soul, but because I know that I am a weak soul and without that discipline of someone else being there I would be strongly tempted just stay in bed or get to the desk or do some other work first and slowly the hours would slip by and before I knew it I’d be missing Morning Prayer, and then missing Evening Prayer and then – when I’ve justified all that by saying that I will say Compline before I go to bed- I’d be too tired and just go to sleep - God will understand after all won’t he ….
And only last week I was saying how hard it is for a simple and weak soul like me to give my regular percentage of my income to the Cathedral. Each cheque costs me $1.50 each bank transfer costs me $1.50 - and I’m not going to give the banks any more of my money than I need to, so instead of writing a weekly cheque, I just remember to allot that money in my bank account for the Cathedral. But how easy it will be when I get to the end of March, the end of the first quarter, just to shave off a couple of hundred dollars ….who would really know?
And when I go home tonight, which one of you would know if I just had one small whisky – after all, it’s been a long day.
It’s all right for Jesus to tell us not to parade our piety, he expects high things of us - we are adults after all aren’t we and we are each of us responsible for our own souls - aren’t we - but my goodness it doesn’t half help to have a community to belong to!
So … almsgiving, prayer and fasting … the great three.
The way Jesus – our Lord and Master - tells us to keep a good Lent.
But why does he do this? Why does Jesus – of all people - go back to those old three, almsgiving, prayer and fasting … why not justice, integrity, mercy? and there’s nothing wrong with Justice, integrity and mercy by the way!!! but almsgiving, prayer and fasting ?
Well, he tells us to give alms, to pray and to fast because he loves us – He wants what is good for us … Jesus knows what is good for us … “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” he says … he wants our hearts to be in the right place – to be happy – to be blessed. – and he knows that the only way we mortals will ever be happy will be if we can shake off the three false securities of money, of believing that we can get by perfectly well without God, and of instant and selfish pleasure.
You see … There are no pockets in shrouds, we can’t even add a single hour to the length of our lives, and eventually these bodies of ours will be weak and frail and we will be eating boiled ham and broth whether we like it or not.
Whereas….charity, trusting God and letting go – if that’s what almsgiving, prayer and fasting will bring us – will make us strong and ready to fall content – peaceful – at rest - into the arms of the God we love. Our heart will have already made its home with God…… and “neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”…….. do you really want anything less than that?
And so my friends, this Lent - by all means give up chocolate or alcohol, or snacking between meals, if you want to …. but above all give alms, pray and fast ….
Do it on your own in your room and shut the door – if you’re able - or do it with the rest of us - your brothers and sisters – support us in our struggle this Lent and be supported by us in yours – if that’s what you can do …. give sacrificially – make a special effort, join us in prayer during the week … - there’s 15 opportunities Monday to Friday in this Cathedral! come to one of the midday Eucharists and then eat an apple afterwards as your lunch ….. just do it … as the advert says! For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. ….. and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
I think that’s a promise!
