6 February
08 “Seeking God in the
Quiet Places”
Tonight’s Gospel lesson is part of
what we commonly call the Sermon on
the Mount.
·
Jesus’
fame was spreading … teachings / healings / example He set with His life
·
Large
crowds followed Him everywhere … eager to hear His words
·
Matthew
5:1 says that … when Jesus saw the huge crowd that was following Him … He went
up a mountain and sat down … THEN the disciples (apostles and the crowd of
believers and those seeking to learn more) came and sat down to listen.
·
Sermon on the Mount filled with words of advice
… words of wisdom … on how we are called to live our lives …
o
our
own personal behaviour
o
our
life of faith / worship / prayer
o
extending
charity / hospitality to all
o
learning
what is TRULY important for life
o
focusing
on God’s “WAY” … NOT our own “way”
Tonight
… members of our Confirmation Class will share their creative presentation of
Jesus’ words regarding giving alms / praying / fasting AND determining WHERE we
can find our TRUE treasure
(4 Vignettes by Confirmands and Mentors)
VERSE
1 of our Gospel reading states:
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in
order to be seen by them; for then you have NO reward from your Father in
heaven.”
Words
are very reminiscent of what my Daddy always told me … especially when I would
complain about the way others acted ~ especially the way some folks always like
to “toot their own horn” …
“You don’t need to BRAG about what you have done …
OR are doing … everything you
do is always seen by others.”
(He meant the GOOD things that we do … as well as
the NOT-SO-GOOD things!)
With
their presentations … their creative way of showing the RIGHT and NOT-SO-RIGHT
…
the BETTER …
the HEALTHIER
way
to go about doing good works and helping others …
Confirmands
got right to the heart of Jesus’ message.
Jesus
WASN’T telling the disciples to NOT DO GOOD WORKS …
·
Good
works
·
extending
a helping hand
·
caring
for each other
·
connecting
deeply with God through prayer OR worship OR listening to God’s Holy Word
THESE
are the heart ~ the backbone of our Christian
tradition and faith.
Jesus’
words are words of warning:
·
BE
on your guard!
·
DON’T
make a theatrical production out of what you are doing
o
Like
a Hollywood grand opening
o
Spotlights
o
Cameras
o
Interviews
o
ALL
the elite gathered around
It
might make YOU feel good … but only for a moment …
LET’S FACE IT … fame like this is
fleeting … momentary … it is REALLY easy to topple the one standing on top of
the pedestal.
INSTEAD
… Jesus is advising the crowd …
WHATEVER
you do …
DO IT QUIETLY …
AND
WITH DIGNITY!!!
AGAIN
… let’s be honest … don’t we have greater respect for those who work
QUIETLY BUT STEADILY
behind
the scenes … the ones …
·
You
can depend on
·
Who
will always be there
·
Who
are dedicated to what they are doing
·
Who
will invite others to join in their work
BRINGS
to mind images of the work of …
Mother Teresa …
Trevor
Ferrell / Trevor’s Place …
AND
… in addition … WHO is the ONLY ONE who NEEDS
to know EXACTLY the depth and breadth of the works that we engage in?
The confirmands got it right … ONLY
GOD!!!
SO
… Jesus advises the crowds … whatever you do … DO IT IN SECRET … that is: go
someplace quiet … be unobtrusive … don’t be obvious …
BECAUSE
YOUR GOD, WHO KNOWS YOU IN SECRET, WILL REWARD YOU!
God
who knows you in secret … wonderful image of encountering God in the quiet
places …
Brings
to mind stories of others who found God in the quiet places …
·
MOSES
… who encountered God in the burning bush … beyond the wilderness … in the
solitude of tending the flocks of sheep
·
ELIJAH
… who encountered God NOT in the wind OR earthquake OR fire … BUT in the SOUND
of SHEER SILENCE
·
MARY
and ELIZABETH … who encountered God in the surprising, yet gentle, message of
God’s messenger
·
Even
JESUS … who encountered God’s ministering angel as He prayed for release in the
Garden of Gethsemene
Throughout
Scripture … and in each of our lives … it is in the silent places … the places
where we have withdrawn to THINK …
PRAY … MAKE DECISIONS …
Where
we stand at a crossroads OR are most vulnerable … THERE GOD COMES TO US … THERE
WE ENCOUNTER THE PRESENCE of GOD … the GOD who knows us inside and out.
Jesus’
words of advice for those early crowds … and for us … call us to take the time
… to TRULY consider what motivates our lives … to GET OUR HEADS and HEARTS IN
THE RIGHT PLACE …
To STOP … and ASK ourselves ~
AM
I doing EVERYTHING that I am doing …
·
To
gain personal fame … OR
o
To
be of help to sisters & brothers in faith
·
To
promote your actions / generosity … OR
o
To
further the work of an individual or group of individuals
·
To
“strut your own stuff before others” … OR
o
To
follow in Jesus’ footsteps and live by His example.
As
we begin our Lenten journey, may we allow ourselves to rest quietly with God …
to ponder Jesus’ words of advice … and to discern our true treasure for this
world and the next.
AMEN.