Sermon for Ash Wednesday 2026 - Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Here’s a confession. In all the time I’ve been a priest (and this is my 20th Ash Wednesday preaching), I have never preached on the gospel reading assigned for Ash Wednesday. NEVER. This reading makes me uncomfortable. I have always struggled with the disconnect between what Jesus says in this Gospel reading and what we do on Ash Wednesday. 

Jesus says, “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.” And he goes on to warn his listeners not to give, pray, or fast like the hypocrites do. And here we are. Praying in public. Putting ash crosses on our foreheads. Talking about our Lenten practices. And then walking out of church with giant ash crosses on our foreheads. It’s as though we are proclaiming to the world that WE went to church on Ash Wednesday. (Or, honestly, here’s a much more likely scenario these days: We look like we haven’t washed up today and some well meaning soul says, “Excuse me, do you know you have a little smudge of dirt on your forehead?”) 

Anyway, this reading has always made me uncomfortable. So, this year, I finally decided to take it on. And I’m glad I did. Because I learned some things I want to share. 

First, let’s talk about the word piety. In English it means to be religious or reverent. Interestingly, that’s a leap from the original Greek where Jesus says to beware practicing RIGHTEOUSNESS before others in order to be seen by them.  Righteousness does not mean an attitude of reverence. Rather, it means to engage in acts of justice. So what Jesus is saying here is that doing justice matters - but not if we’re doing justice just to show off how righteous we are. Then, Jesus names three spiritual practices and each comes with a different caution.

The first practice is giving alms. “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others.”

The second is praying. “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others.” The third and final practice is fasting. “And whenever you fast, do not look somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces to show others that they are fasting.” Each caution follows this pattern: When you do X, don’t do it like the hypocrites, who do X in this way in order to be praised, or seen, or noticed.  

The word hypocrite comes from the Greek and it was originally a word for actor - one who “acted under” a mask. But it quickly came to mean two-faced even in Greek - acting one way, but (under the mask) being a different way. So, when we do these acts of piety, it’s not that we can’t be public about them. Rather, this text invites us to ask ourselves about our motivations. Why are we doing what we do? Are we engaging in a practice because it will draw us closer to God? Or are we doing it to show off our piety?  If we are engaging in a practice in a public way so that we can be noticed or praised - that’s problematic. But if we are doing something in a public way to engage with others, or find strength from others on the journey, or as part of our desire to draw closer to God, then that’s totally different. So Jesus’ words aren’t about being secretive for secretivenesses sake. Rather they are about understanding our own motivations and checking our inclinations. 

I also want to call attention to the acts Jesus names: giving alms, praying, and fasting. These are three practices the church has long suggested as ways, in the words of our prayerbook liturgy, to have a holy Lent. They are practices that Christians recognize as things that can help us draw closer to God.

Giving alms (giving money or goods to those who are are in need) is a tangible recognition of two things: First that all that we have comes from God and we have a responsibility to share what we have with those who are in need. And, we are called to share in caring for the world as God cares for the world.  Prayer draws us ever deeper into relationship with God. Fasting, doing without something that we value or depend on, serves as a reminder that we are called to be dependent on God. People often fast from food, or alcohol during Lent. And it can be helpful to think about what things we have an unhealthy dependence on, and to contemplate fasting from that thing. And as some of you may know, I’m always a fan of making fasting count. If I choose to limit my food choices in some way during Lent, then I try to calculate what that fasting saves me, and then I give that money to our local food pantry, Share. 

If you are looking for a way to explore some of these practices this Lent, I invite you to join me in some Lenten micro practices. A micro practice is a small and achievable action that can usually be done in a few minutes or less. The folks at Vibrant Church Communications put together a series of micro practices that mostly fall into the categories of PRAYER, FASTING, GIVING ALMS, and SCRIPTURE. One micro practice is assigned to each day starting today, on Ash Wednesday, and ending on Easter Sunday. 

You can pick up a booklet with the micro practices in them on your way out today. There’s also a bookmark with the Ash Wednesday micro practice of the Ignatian Examen, if you would like to try that practice every day. 

Those steps are: 

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

The idea with the micro practices is not necessarily that you would do every single one. Some may not appeal to you at all. (I can tell you that I’m not planting anything - I am terrible with plants.) Rather, the micro practices suggest a variety of practices that you might try. And if any of them feel right for you, you might continue them after Lent.  I’m planning to make some notes in my micro practices booklet about which ones felt meaningful.  And, if you’re on Facebook, you might consider engaging in some conversation about the micro practices, what you’ve tried, and how you felt about them. 

The season of Lent is designed to draw us closer to God as we prepare to celebrate again Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Whatever you do during this Lenten season may it be holy, may it be helpful, and may it help you to deepen your relationship with God. Amen. ​