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February 25, 2023

The Practices of Hard Days

Tex Sample   |   Read Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

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Lectionary Week
February 20–26, 2023
Scripture Overview

In this first week of Lent, we prepare our hearts for a period of reflection. We think about areas of our lives in which we might be falling short of God’s desires. The problem of sin enters the human story at the very beginning when Adam and Eve choose to follow their own wisdom rather than guidance from God. The psalmist highlights the importance of recognizing our sin and asking for forgiveness, which God is quick to give. In Romans, Paul argues that we all partake in the broken human condition because we all have sinned as Adam did. The teachings from the Sermon on the Mount warn us against misplaced desires and selfishness.

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

Read Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7. How might this story help you turn to humility throughout your Lenten journey?Read Psalm 32. What seeming dichotomies comprise the full picture of your life of faith?Read Romans 5:12-19. How do you sense the differences Paul draws between Adam and Christ prompting you to turn toward God?Read Matthew 6:1-6,16-21. How do you practice your piety? What is your treasure, and where is it?

Respond by posting a prayer .

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

1 “Be careful that you don’t practice your religion in front of people to draw their attention. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Whenever you give to the poor, don’t blow your trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets so that they may get praise from people. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing 4 so that you may give to the poor in secret. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you. 5 “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. 6 But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you. 16 “And when you fast, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They distort their faces so people will know they are fasting. I assure you that they have their reward. 17 When you fast, brush your hair and wash your face. 18 Then you won’t look like you are fasting to people, but only to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. 20 Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. 21 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible. Used by permission.

My uncle was a bootlegger in my hometown in the late 1940s and 50s. He wore $300 suits, a ten-gallon Stetson hat, and Italian shoes. The roll of money in the front right pocket of his pants was so big he had his pockets custom made to accompany this excess...

Great God, help us to love you authentically, to be compassionate toward others, and to fall so much in love with reality that we may no longer be captive to pretense. Amen.


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