Have you noticed that applause seems to be offered far more in today’s society than ever before. It may be partly the reserved nature of the British personality that leads us to clap our hands in acknowledgment of something rather than showing some more demonstrable sign of our appreciation. We’re approaching the fifth anniversary of going outside our houses during COVID on Thursday evenings to applaud NHS workers, who could neither see it or hear it. And recently there has been some discussion about standing ovations – how they are becoming too commonplace.
We’ve got more used now to applause in church, when that would have been greatly frowned on in any act of worship when I was young. But some people do get uneasy about applause in church, and I think the gospel for today may suggest why.
Three times in today’s gospel Jesus criticizes the hypocrites who perform their religious duties ‘so that they may be praised by others.’ The word ‘hypocrite’ first entered the English language around the year 1200, with the meaning of ‘the sin of pretending to virtue or goodness.’ In today’s reading Jesus criticizes the sounding of trumpets before the giving of alms. And he notes that the hypocrites like to offer their prayers prominently, perhaps on the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. As he says, they have received their reward. Recognition by other people was maybe all they wanted.
Of course, whether they were ‘play-acting’ in their religious observances, or really were sincere, we can’t know. But they certainly ensured that what they were doing would be noticed by others, rather like Hyacinth Bouquet just happening to drop a brochure on expensive holidays in front of her neighbours. Sometimes we like to show off what we’ve got – like a new car, or some notable addition to house or garden. I don’t see any great sin in that, as long as it is kept in moderation. The point about Hyacinth Bouquet and her holiday brochures was that she and her husband had no intention to go on, and couldn’t afford, those expensive holidays. The brochures were all for show. There is a serious point here.
Lent is all about facing-up, before God, as to who exactly we are. Maybe we can’t be accused of anything the hypocrites in the gospel were being pilloried for by Jesus, but we can still be tempted in that direction. In all our service to God, the principle we should be motivated by is our desire to serve him, by worship, and thanksgiving, and the service of others. Applause is the actor’s reward, and is not a proper goal for those whose ‘piety’ should be directed solely towards God. The quest for public recognition, perhaps appropriate to an entertainer, can never be the motivation for Christian disciples. They depend on the forgiveness of God, and must receive that in a direct relationship with him, not hindered by the desire of limelight for themselves.
One of the doctrines of the Church is that of ‘original sin’ – the inescapable fact that within each of us there is, as well as the great capacity for good, a strand of rebellion against God, manifesting itself in selfishness, devious behaviour, or deceit. It is hard even for good people to accept this. My old grandmother, who has been dead for 50 years now, honestly couldn’t see anything wrong with her life. Actually, neither could anybody else, but the very fact that she would say that was a kind of conceit or deceit in itself.
So, in Lent, we take away the mask, and not merely allow God to confront us as we are, but make ourselves face up to who we really are. It is an individual challenge for each of us, but also a collective challenge. So St. Paul says, maybe to individuals at Corinth or to the whole congregation there, “We entreat you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Religious observances, if not practised from good motives, can so easily work contrary to God’s will. The sin of the hypocrites, sounding their trumpets and praying so that everybody could see them, was that their actions were all about themselves, and not about God. When that happens, then it is a short step to overlooking the needs of others, or seeking social justice, or trying to figure out what really is God’s will.
So today we embark on this season of penitence and self-examination. I know that you, who have come here today, take that seriously. If Lenten observance seems a little introspective, let us reflect that faith pursued vigorously will lead us to a deeper gratitude for all that God has done for us; that thanksgiving is actually reinforced and extended. And if we embark on some programme of self-denial, that is both an expression of faith and an encouragement to pursue our walk with God more deeply. The rewards may not be instant, such as the hypocrites were seeking, but, as Jesus promised, there will be treasures in heaven, and we shall find peace. So I wish you a holy and blessed Lent.