Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when your pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Let us pray,

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all of our hearts, be pleasing and acceptable to you, our rock and our redeemer…

This evening I want to tell you a story of the unappreciated Sunday School Teacher. Now before I tell you this story, I must confess that I made it up. I did this so no one thinks I’m talking about you or someone you know. But as you listen, I hope you will find ways to relate to the story. And discern whether or not this Sunday School Teacher is a pious person or not.

The Story of the Unappreciated Sunday School Teacher

Mrs. Parker has taught Sunday School for kids in K-5 at First Presbyterian Church for as long as anyone can remember. She’s taught Sunday School for so long she’s taught the parents of some of her current students. Everyone loves Mrs. Parker. She is responsible for introducing hundreds of children to Jesus.

When covid hit, Mrs. Parker’s Session decided that all Christian education classes would be held virtually for the foreseeable future. Mrs. Parker wanted to continue to teach Sunday School, but she did not know how on earth she was going to record herself teaching Sunday School for the kiddos to watch at home on Sunday morning.

So Mrs. Parker recruited her grandson to teach her how to run a Zoom meeting. She purchased a webcam, a ring light, and higher speed internet. She sent a link to her kid’s families with detailed instructions on how to access the virtual Sunday School class. She joined the meeting 30 minutes early, just to make sure everything was working correctly.

At first, Zoom Sunday school was a hit. The parents were grateful that Mrs. Parker figured out how to teach Sunday School remotely. The kids were excited and engaged. Sure, not everything translated to virtual learning. But Mrs. Parker and her students were learning as they went.

But as spring transitioned into summer, Mrs. Parker noticed that attendance in her Zoom Sunday School classes was half of what it was that winter. This is normal. She told herself. Attendance tends to drop in the summer. We’ll be back to normal by fall.

But by September only 1/3 of her students were logging onto Zoom Sunday school. It was becoming impossible to keep kids focused for a 30-minute lesson. Parents, burnt out from six months of online school, were no longer encouraging their kids to go to Zoom Sunday School. By Christmas, Mrs. Parker only had three kids in her class.

Mrs. Parker brought her concern to the head of the education committee on Session. Unfortunately, this elder was now responsible for organizing every adult small group meeting. So she didn’t have much encouragement to offer Mrs. Parker. Have you suggested taking a break she asked Mrs. Parker.

Mrs. Parker heard her suggestion as a criticism of her teaching. How dare they ask if I need a break?! If you think I need a break, you can find someone else to teach Sunday School!”

This was the last communication anyone had with Mrs. Parker. She refuses to attend online church or respond to emails from the church. A new person took over Mrs. Parker’s Zoom Sunday school class, but it’s just not the same. No one is sure if Mrs. Parker will return to teach when it is safe to gather in person again.

I share this story with you this evening because I think it does a good job of illustrating the dangers and consequences of inauthentic piety. For Christian disciples, piety is outward acts of devotion to God. Our Scripture passage for this evening teaches us that giving, prayer, and fasting were the standard markers of Jewish piety. Jesus asks his Jewish audience to examine their motivations for their pious behaviors. What drives you to give money, talk to God, and abstain from certain foods? If you give to the needy, Jesus says, give privately. If you pray, pray privately, if you fast, wash your face first so that no one knows you are fasting.

As I prepared this Ash Wednesday sermon, I wondered what acts of devotion are assumed in this congregation as part of our faith life? I identified worship attendance, service (preferably on a committee), and giving as the key acts.

I chose to share the story of the unappreciated Sunday School teacher because I think her actions were in the right place- she understood she had to switch to virtual teaching to continue her service to the church. But her heart was not- she wanted to teach virtually so that everyone would appreciate her service to the children of the church.

One of the frustrating things about being human is that a genuine love of God can sit side by side with a need to be affirmed for loving God. Under sin, it cannot be otherwise.

The problem with the underappreciated Sunday School teacher lies in her motivations. She desired to be appreciated for her service more than she desired to serve. You’ll notice in the story, that as soon as she felt underappreciated, she cut all ties with the committee that was supposed to be helping her. Then once she felt that the church didn’t appreciate her efforts with Zoom Sunday School, she cut all ties with the church.

Now I’m not saying we church people should not appreciate those whose service makes our life together possible. But if we serve so that we can be affirmed, we are going to constantly feel disappointed.

Yet, despite our oftentimes conflicting motivations, Jesus continues to call forth actions done in faith/hope. Which I take to mean that we have to keep trying, even though we know we won’t always get it right. One of the central claims of Christianity is- self-centered though our piety may become, forgiveness is possible through the grace of God. God’s grace is the only thing that can transform us from being self-centered into being God-centered. God continues to invite us into acts of service. We continue to ask for forgiveness when we mess up.

This evening we gather together to mark the beginning of a season of awareness of sin and death. And the possibilities of new life in Christ. Tonight, we begin our observation of Lent. An observation that will continue for the next six weeks. I think it’s fair to ask why we impose ashes to mark the beginning of Lent? Even if tonight, since we’re worshipping virtually, our imposition of ashes is going to look a little different. Aren’t ashes an eternal sign of piety we do so that other people can see what great Christians we are?

We impose ashes to remind ourselves of our humanity and sinfulness. As you participate in our imposition of ashes exercise, I will encourage you to write out,“ Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This is a beautiful reminder of our mortality. As well as the promise of new life we have in Christ. Our bodies may break down and return to dust. They are subject to age, sickness, decay and death. But because of Jesus’ love for us, we look with hope to the day that we will eternally dwell in the presence of God.

I also believe that the authenticity of an act of piety is determined by the desires and motivations of the one engaged in the act. So maybe don’t post a picture of your ashes artwork with the hashtag #getyourAshinchurch . (Believe it or not this hashtag trended on Twitter and Instagram on Ash Wednesday last year!)

Because the point of receiving ashes is not to make other people feel guilty that they couldn’t make it tonight. To put your ashes on display so that the world will know what a pious person you are. The point is to engage in a practice that reminds us of our humanity and our sinfulness. That we are all dust. And to dust we shall return.

Thanks be to God,

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.