For those of us who are part of a worshiping community that follows the liturgical calendar, we always start Lent off with the words of Jesus: “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." (Matthew 6:1) Jesus goes on to talk specifically about almsgiving (monetary offerings to help the poor), fasting, and prayer done in public for the benefit of others' attention and adoration.
Often, I think we gloss over his words and say to ourselves, "I don't do public expressions of piety. I don't give alms in front of others or fast for attention or pray loudly in the streets. So this text must not be for me." Or we say, "Personal piety is a good thing, and it's meant to be shown." Really? Not according to Jesus.
Jesus teaches us that true piety cannot be separated from humility. We give offerings to help those in need and support the ministry of the Church because God has saved and blessed us, and we are called to offer up all that we have and all that we are in return. We fast or give up certain things so we can focus on God and God's calling in our lives. And we pray in order to spend time in conversation with God, which sustains us in the midst of our crazy, hectic lives.
But many Christians would still say, "I get that. So of course Jesus isn't talking about me."
Then let me say this: Let us not limit what Jesus is teaching us to the specific examples he uses. Let's step back and consider: Are there other forms of public piety we engage in?
I've seen quite a few over the years. One of the most obvious is condemning the world and notifying everyone, in no uncertain terms, that they are doomed to hell unless they "repent" (and subsequently follow the religious ideals held by the one offering the condemnation). It's not our place to judge or condemn, and if you think it is, your piety is showing.
Another is arguing with everyone else about how your interpretation of Scripture is the only one that's valid, then looking down on anyone who disagrees with you as "less Christian" than you. This goes for liberals and conservatives alike, and if you assume that "only liberals" or "only conservatives" do this, you probably need to take a good long look in the mirror, because your piety is showing.
I've also witnessed, tragically, the hypocrisy of those who claim to be "pro-life," and as such seem to consider themselves as morally superior, while they ignore the needs of hungry children and homeless families, asserting that they simply need to "work harder." These same people will often seek to bar entry to, or cast out, immigrants and refugees who are fleeing for their lives and have lived many of their years under fear and oppression. And I wonder: How can we say we are for life if we do not value the life of each person, created in the image of God, and seek justice for every individual? If we think these things are mutually exclusive, our piety is showing.
Another habit that plagues the Church is our unwillingness to change, to let the Holy Spirit transform us as God wills. We fight tooth and nail against anything new or different. We make excuses for every new thing God tries to do, saying, "That's not the way we did it before." We make idols of our church buildings and our programs and our particular ways of doing things. And our piety is showing.
One last pattern of behavior I'll mention, though we are guilty of so many, is simply ignoring the world around us. In many ways, this is both the opposite and the equivalent of condeming the world. We rest comfortably on our faith and the assruance of our salvation, and we let the world and the rest of humainty suffer through injustice and sin and darkness and we do nothing. And we tell ourselves, "God will take care of it. If God wants those people to be redeemed and saved, God will see to it. It's not my problem." Except that Jesus Christ sends us out to make disciples of all nations. He sends us out to proclaim the Good News of his saving grace to the world. But we so often ignore that because actually doing so makes us uncomfortable. And our piety is showing.
We face a pivotal time in the Church right now, particularly here in the United States. And while we may think our numbers are declining because the rest of society is ignoring us, the truth is that society is watching us ever closer. People want to see what we're doing. They want to know if we are open to change and transformation. They want to know who's leading us- our own egos or the Holy Spirit. And so often, when we engage in behaviors like the ones I've just mentioned above, people see us practicing our piety for the benefit of others (and often times ourselves), and they know this behavior is not Christ-like. They know it is not what we have been called to do as his disciples. And then they wonder what's more important to us: that sense of safety and satisfaction that comes with our personal piety, or living into the future God has placed before us?
Piety is not a bad thing- not when it is graced with humility. And Jesus teaches us to engage in all those activities he names- almsgiving, fasting, and prayer- but to do it out of our love for God and God's people. It's not about showing everyone else how holy and righteous we are, because these themselves are gifts from God. And true piety is realizing that it's all about God and not about us.
My hope is that we will beware of practicing our piety before others; that we will be aware of when we are being judgmental, when we are being hypocritical, when we are failing to love our neighbors as ourselves, and when we are failing to live out the life we have been called to in Jesus Christ. And I pray we will be open to all the ways God is calling us to show love, grace, hope, humility, and justice to the world, and that we will live in that way.
Because people around us are watching. Is our piety showing?
Often, I think we gloss over his words and say to ourselves, "I don't do public expressions of piety. I don't give alms in front of others or fast for attention or pray loudly in the streets. So this text must not be for me." Or we say, "Personal piety is a good thing, and it's meant to be shown." Really? Not according to Jesus.
Jesus teaches us that true piety cannot be separated from humility. We give offerings to help those in need and support the ministry of the Church because God has saved and blessed us, and we are called to offer up all that we have and all that we are in return. We fast or give up certain things so we can focus on God and God's calling in our lives. And we pray in order to spend time in conversation with God, which sustains us in the midst of our crazy, hectic lives.
But many Christians would still say, "I get that. So of course Jesus isn't talking about me."
Then let me say this: Let us not limit what Jesus is teaching us to the specific examples he uses. Let's step back and consider: Are there other forms of public piety we engage in?
I've seen quite a few over the years. One of the most obvious is condemning the world and notifying everyone, in no uncertain terms, that they are doomed to hell unless they "repent" (and subsequently follow the religious ideals held by the one offering the condemnation). It's not our place to judge or condemn, and if you think it is, your piety is showing.
Another is arguing with everyone else about how your interpretation of Scripture is the only one that's valid, then looking down on anyone who disagrees with you as "less Christian" than you. This goes for liberals and conservatives alike, and if you assume that "only liberals" or "only conservatives" do this, you probably need to take a good long look in the mirror, because your piety is showing.
I've also witnessed, tragically, the hypocrisy of those who claim to be "pro-life," and as such seem to consider themselves as morally superior, while they ignore the needs of hungry children and homeless families, asserting that they simply need to "work harder." These same people will often seek to bar entry to, or cast out, immigrants and refugees who are fleeing for their lives and have lived many of their years under fear and oppression. And I wonder: How can we say we are for life if we do not value the life of each person, created in the image of God, and seek justice for every individual? If we think these things are mutually exclusive, our piety is showing.
Another habit that plagues the Church is our unwillingness to change, to let the Holy Spirit transform us as God wills. We fight tooth and nail against anything new or different. We make excuses for every new thing God tries to do, saying, "That's not the way we did it before." We make idols of our church buildings and our programs and our particular ways of doing things. And our piety is showing.
One last pattern of behavior I'll mention, though we are guilty of so many, is simply ignoring the world around us. In many ways, this is both the opposite and the equivalent of condeming the world. We rest comfortably on our faith and the assruance of our salvation, and we let the world and the rest of humainty suffer through injustice and sin and darkness and we do nothing. And we tell ourselves, "God will take care of it. If God wants those people to be redeemed and saved, God will see to it. It's not my problem." Except that Jesus Christ sends us out to make disciples of all nations. He sends us out to proclaim the Good News of his saving grace to the world. But we so often ignore that because actually doing so makes us uncomfortable. And our piety is showing.
We face a pivotal time in the Church right now, particularly here in the United States. And while we may think our numbers are declining because the rest of society is ignoring us, the truth is that society is watching us ever closer. People want to see what we're doing. They want to know if we are open to change and transformation. They want to know who's leading us- our own egos or the Holy Spirit. And so often, when we engage in behaviors like the ones I've just mentioned above, people see us practicing our piety for the benefit of others (and often times ourselves), and they know this behavior is not Christ-like. They know it is not what we have been called to do as his disciples. And then they wonder what's more important to us: that sense of safety and satisfaction that comes with our personal piety, or living into the future God has placed before us?
Piety is not a bad thing- not when it is graced with humility. And Jesus teaches us to engage in all those activities he names- almsgiving, fasting, and prayer- but to do it out of our love for God and God's people. It's not about showing everyone else how holy and righteous we are, because these themselves are gifts from God. And true piety is realizing that it's all about God and not about us.
My hope is that we will beware of practicing our piety before others; that we will be aware of when we are being judgmental, when we are being hypocritical, when we are failing to love our neighbors as ourselves, and when we are failing to live out the life we have been called to in Jesus Christ. And I pray we will be open to all the ways God is calling us to show love, grace, hope, humility, and justice to the world, and that we will live in that way.
Because people around us are watching. Is our piety showing?