Immanuel Lutheran Church (LCMS), Sheridan, Wyoming: Sermon for 09 March 2011, Ash Wednesday

The Rev. Paul J Cain

Matthew 6:1-6, [7-15,] 16-21

Kyrie

Ash Wednesday, 09 March 2011

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WY

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. [Amen.]
Psalm 96:1-2 ESV.

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

Jesus says, “You have heard it said.” And then He goes on to declare, “But I say to you.” Tonight’s text from Jesus’ sermon on the mount follows the same pattern of contrast: “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,⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

You hear nearly identical language when Jesus teaches us about prayer and introduces the Lord’s Prayer: “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

[“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.]

Consider also fasting: “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

What is your treasure? Where is your heart when you give, pray, or fast? It makes a difference if things are done merely “in front of others to be praised by them.” Our Lord teaches that we should care more about what our Father sees in secret and rewards.

Tonight we pray, “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.” In the liturgy, this prayer is called the Kyrie, Greek for “Lord.” We echo the prayer of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:47.

We pray for peace, pardon, the proclamation of the Gospel, civil government, good weather and good harvests, those at work and those unable to work, the sick, the dying, and for all our needs of body and soul.

Tonight we prayed responsively with new music, that of Divine Service, Setting Four. Each Wednesday this Lent you will hear or sing a canticle from DS4 or Morning Prayer, services we will begin using on a regular basis this summer. Like Psalm 96 and Psalm 98 commend, we will sing to the Lord a new song. We will sing to the Lord songs from the Bible that tell of His salvation in Christ Jesus, He who IS the New Song of salvation. Next week, we will sing an old favorite, the Offertory from the TLH “page 5.” service

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches to the crowds and His disciples. He does not want them to get caught up in the hypocritical gap between “do what I say and not what I do.” He calls for repentant, faith-filled, and faithful disciples who regularly receive His forgiveness.

“Lord, have mercy” is not a plea for forgiveness. It is the prayer of the forgiven for blessings of body and soul. “Christ, have mercy” is a plea to the Savior for a pure heart like His that gives, prays, and fasts so that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, except when both are folded for prayer. “Lord, have mercy” is a prayer of in humility, a prayer for strength offered while on our knees in sackcloth and ashes, an acknowledgement of a loving Father who loves and rewards us because of what His Son suffered in our place. Amen.

Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. [Amen.]
Psalm 98:1-2 ESV

Kyrie. LSB 204

A In peace let us pray to the Lord.