Dear Christian friends:

James Montgomery was imprisoned twice, several times challenged in court, and many times momentarily defeated by life's problems. He found refuge in his home in Sheffield, England. In this place of solace, which he named the mount, he wrote the beloved hymn, "Come To Calvary's Holy Mountain," which we just sang.

Just as home was for him the physical place where "the troubled peace may find," Mount Calvary is the place of spiritual comfort and encouragement for all who believe in Christ Jesus.

How do we meet the challenging mountains of life successfully? Tonight we focus on developing the right spirit or attitude to climb these mountains. In our text Jesus shows us the right attitude, and instills His spirit in us. In true Calvary spirit, we climb these mountains beginning with prayer, filled with Christ's love, and confident of his victory.

Jesus loves people, but he is not fooled by the games we play. Jesus knows that many prefer to avoid their mountain climbing, not to mention his. He understands that we find life hard and tend to cover up, make it appear like we are climbing when we are not. Jesus, too, was tempted to forget Mount Calvary, to "let the cup pass," but he didn't. He knew that God judges those who fake it.

In our text here Jesus uses the strong word, "hypocrite." The word comes from the Greek-Roman theater and means an actor who plays his part behind a false face, a mask. We are not surprised, therefore, that Jesus warns us about alms-giving, fake prayer, and fake fasting. We are to be real climbers in life, not merely actors; genuine, not make-believe Christians.

Remember Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)? Their pretended generosity brought quick judgment from God. They made it appear that they had given all the proceeds from the sale of a piece of property. In reality they kept back part of the proceeds for themselves. There was nothing wrong with keeping back part, but there was something wrong with their deceitfully pretending they had given all.

Might we not be guilty of the same hypocrisy when we say we, "can't afford" to give more, when in fact we can afford it? Or when we say we are for tithing and urge others to tithe, but then don't really tithe ourselves? Jesus says something here about phony praying and worshipping also. We might do well if we examine our thoughts and deeds in these areas also.

Thank God Jesus did not avoid climbing Mt. Calvary. He did not let "the cup pass." Jesus endured all the suffering of Mt. Calvary to pay for our sins. He made up for all the fake climbers of the world by climbing Mt. Calvary, the mountain of our hypocrisy. He received the punishment we deserved, so that the Father might forgive us.

When you and I feel remorse because we have allowed our sinful nature to lead us to be hypocrites, the cross of Christ on Calvary's mountain is there for us. It assures us of his grace and forgiveness and at the same time empowers us to have the right spirit for climbing life's mountains.

The spirit of Calvary that Jesus gives begins with prayer. In our text Jesus instructs: "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men...But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (verses 5-7)

Remember that while the hypocrites, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, mocked Jesus as he hang on the cross, Jesus prayed for them and for himself. Psalm 22 was in his heart and on his lips. He prayed the Psalm's opening words: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And in his heart, you can be sure, he continued to pray the words of that Psalm, asking God to come quickly, to rescue and to save. He prayed in confidence as a true Son that God, his Father, would not hide his face from him, but listen and answer his cry for help.

As you and I face real mountains in life that may seem insurmountable, we need to begin with prayer and worship. We know we have been forgiven because of Christ's cross. So we can proceed to call upon our God and Father in the day of trouble. This is the spirit of Calvary which Jesus gives us.

Secondly we need to be filled with love. Jesus overcame his fear and anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane, first through prayer, and then by love that was determined to obey the Father and save all mankind. When Judas led the mob to arrest Jesus, he still made a final appeal to Judas, calling him to repentance as he asked, "Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? When Peter cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant Jesus acted in love to right the wrong done by his disciple. This is the same he gives to you and me through faith as we face the mountains of adversity and trouble in our lives. His love supplants hate and rights the wrongs. So can our love which we receive from him.

We also need to have Jesus' confidence as we climb life's variety of mountains. Here is the message that gives real confidence until He finally calls us home: Jesus has climbed the most difficult mountain of all, and he did it for us. There is a radical difference between Calvary and the mountains we face in life. Jesus climbed Calvary once for all, so that we would never have to climb that mountain of God's wrath against sin and sinners!

We never could have done it. We never could have suffered enough to atone for our sins. But the sinless Son of God gave his life as the priceless payment, the sacrifice that atoned for the whole world.

We, therefore, can now confront our own troublesome mountains with the confidence of Christ's victory for us. Atop Calvary, on the bloodied cross, Jesus put all our mountains in true perspective. He has told us: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

We do not go alone in our mountain climbing. Christ goes with us, enabling and strengthening us. He promises, "I am am with you always, even to the end of the world."

Tonight, on this Ash Wednesday, we are reminded that we are sinners and we do repent, assured of forgiveness of sins by the Word and sacrament of Holy Communion. Know also that during this Lenten season Jesus will continue to fill you with his Spirit through Word and Sacrament, giving you the true spirit for mountain climbing. He gives the spirit of prayer, the spirit of love, and the spirit of confidence. Make this Lent a mountaintop experience in your journey of life!

Amen.