Can You Keep a Secret?
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Parent who is in secret; and your Parent who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:5–6 (NRSV, adapted)
In a workshop with Athol Fugard many years ago, the renowned playwright warned us aspiring young writers, “Don’t tell anyone about the project you’re working on. Keep it to yourself for as long as you can.”
His point was that, as soon as you told someone what you were writing, it lost a little of its magic. Sharing that story, however briefly, lessened its urgency.
Better to keep it a secret. To walk around the world with the hidden knowledge that you were about something. To let your work be animated by the mystery you were holding onto.
Jesus says the same about prayer. When you do it for others to see, it loses its power. The reward is immediate but fleeting.
Better to keep it a secret. To walk around the world with the hidden knowledge that you are about something. To let your life be animated by the mystery you are holding onto.
What would it be like to have a secret with God this Lent? To take on a prayer practice and keep it to yourself for as long as you can? To be animated by something urgent and powerful that others can only guess at?
Prayer
Holy One, can you keep a secret?
About the AuthorVince Amlin is co-pastor of Bethany UCC, Chicago, and co-planter of Gilead Church Chicago, forming now.