On Ash Wednesday those who attended the evening Eucharist met as Christians who throughout most of Christendom since the 7^th century, have gathered to observe the beginning of Lent; a period of preparation for Easter – a time of reflection – of quite devotion – in contrast to the joy and celebration of Easter.

It is humbling to think that Christians have met at St Mary’s Church since the 12^th century and that the season of Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday would have been commemorated here with a liturgy that would have included the benediction of ashes with ashes placed on the foreheads of those attending church as penitents.

And so some 11 centuries later the congregation met to reflect on their lives, to prepare themselves for the mystery of the death and the joy of the resurrection of our Lord at Easter.

Christianity has many paradoxes and these have formed the subject of a series of sermons this Lent.

The Sermon on the Mount in the gospel of Matthew presents a particular paradox. At the beginning of chapter 6 there is a key verse – 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 it contrasts with a verse in the previous chapter…Let your light so shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Is this a paradox – a contradiction?

The key is the motive in both of those examples. The motivation for all our actions should be to do God’s will and to glorify God. This may sound pious, but if it does we need to reflect on why it does. Is piety a bad thing? An alternative word might be righteousness – but even that has acquired a different meaning in modern usage compared with its New Testament use. It is not self righteousness – but righteousness meaning in this passage, benevolence, and almsgiving, in further contrast to the OT meaning of equality and ethical purity…of love and generosity compared often with rigidity in obeying the law for its own sake.

And so the common motive of the two examples is to give glory to God and not to ourselves.

Luke has Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector, where the Pharisee, confident in his own righteousness looked down on everybody else. He displayed his piety in ostentatious prayer despising the tax collector whose sincerity was far greater than his.

We must all be wary of our motives. The Gospel reminds us that as Christians we should be light – and give light to others, but only through good works in truly following God’s will, and not for self satisfaction or praise from our friends. If we try to illuminate ourselves we shall quickly extinguish any light we might have. The true light comes from Christ working through and in us.

To relate this to today – a man goes into a shop to buy a Valentine’s present for the one he loves, and chooses the biggest and brightest card and the most expensive perfume. He then presents it to his intended with great ostentation in front of his friends.

Another man goes into the same shop and buys a card – not the biggest, but one with well chosen words– and perfume – not the most expensive – but one that he knows the one he loves will enjoy…and he presents it to her secretly. Which suitor (to use an old fashioned word) is likely to be the most acceptable………especially if the one who receives the gifts is the same woman? Well perhaps human relationships are more complicated than that, but God is capable of receiving and wants to receive each one of us…if our worship of Him is genuine and not for show…. because He sees into our hearts and is not deceived.

And so I believe it is helpful to remember that in the apparent paradox of the need to shine, and yet to pray or to give alms in private – we need to avoid hypocrisy – to focus entirely on God and His will for us and to examine our motives in all that we say and do…a difficult path to follow, but perhaps something we should all find time to consider as we continue to experience the season of Lent.