04 2nd Wednesday of Lent Fasting
Tonight we begin our series on Holy Habits. This series is designed to walk us through a different discipline of Lent each week. Our prayer is that as we make this journey you will practice some of these disciplines and experience your relationship with your God on a whole different and deeper level. Tonight we look at and talk about fasting.
Perhaps you are wondering to yourself why we are talking about this. We are not saying that the disciplines of Lent earn you anything from God, but they are good for our health. Very much in the same kind of way that exercise is good for our health. And to show you that this is nothing too terrible foreign to Lutherans, I brought some of Luther’s writings to show that Lutherans are no strangers to the idea of fasting. Allow me to read a selection of from Luther’s writings…
Hold on just a moment, Pastor CJ. Time out. What are you doing? I am giving a sermon on fasting. No. You’re reading what someone else has written about fasting. How is it that this is going to help me experience a deeper relationship with God? Ok. Do you have something else in mind? Yeah. Actually. Would you please put up that photo please? Thank you. There what do you think about that?
Well I see a person who is running through the motions of life. He seems to be getting nowhere and yet he appears to be working really hard. I would say that the chances are pretty good that he is not experiencing the depth and richness of the things that he is practicing, and that they are not filling him up and renewing and restoring him.
Bingo. I see this picture and I don’t just see a person who is running through the motions, I see myself. I mean this is really what life feels like there are so many things that demand our time and attention and now you are here telling us that we have yet another thing to spend our time and attention on.
Well, not exactly. I mean I never meant to give that impression. What I see in fasting is an opportunity to do some spring cleaning in our lives. What do you mean? Well, when your house gets full of clutter and junk, what do you do? Get rid of it. Exactly. Fasting gives us an opportunity to experience that in our own lives, so that we don’t go through life like the person in the picture up there. OK, say more.
Well, fasting is an opportunity for us to look at our lives and ask ourselves what is really important. The Los Angeles Dodgers. Not exactly. Well then what? How do you know what is most important in your life? It’s the things that I spend the most time doing and thinking about. Right. So if we look at our lives and the priorities that we set, what is it that should have the number one spot? God. First commandment, you should have no other gods before me.
Yes. But how easy is it for us to forget that? How easy is it for us to live our lives in a way where we put what we want and our own desires and needs above God and above what we he wills in our lives and world? Too easy. Fasting is a way for us to invite God into our lives, to take those things that we have put into that most important spot and to allow to take it. It is his rightful spot.
So by not eating, God will be number one? Yes. And no. Don’t just see this as something that we do, because we can’t do it on our own or from our own strength. Also don’t see it as just a magical formula that we do and everything is better. It doesn’t work that way. So then, how does it work?
Fasting is not so much about eating or not eating as it is about asking God to come and take his rightful place in our lives. It is about having that sinful nature that lives in us, not get his or her way all the time. And it is about living in our baptism as God’s people. Some people do this by going without food. But for some people, not eating would be bad for their health, but that doesn’t mean they can’t fast.
So that’s why people will give up chocolate or sweets or movies for Lent? Exactly. The idea is that you deny yourself something, not so that you can feel horrible and miserable for 40 days, but so that you can say, “Nothing is going to be more important in my life than my God.” So if I feel that church is becoming too important in my life, does that mean that I can sleep in on Sunday mornings?
No not really no. Because this is not about us getting our way and us getting just what we want? So what is it then? It is us saying to our God. Lord, I am yours. You have made me your own in the waters of baptism. I want you to be number one in my life. Mold me into the image of your son. But I don’t really talk that way? That’s fine. It’s not how you say it. But it’s the thought that counts.
Well isn’t that a little legalistic:? If you aren’t careful it can be. If you used this as a way to make yourself better than someone else. Or if you used it as a way to try to manipulate God into doing what you want him to do. Then yes. But we are doing it as a part of our relationship with God. Ok. But I still don’t see how it is not legalistic?
It is not legalistic because it is not something that our God requires of us for salvation. In other words, fasting will not make God love us more. It will not cause him to give us more grace. It will not force him to give extra spiritual brownie points. Our God is gracious and loving. For the sake of Jesus, and his death and resurrection, we already have all of God’s grace and love and mercy. We have it all.
But we spend time doing things like fasting to help us keep this mind. To allow us to live this out in our lives. Right. Because the God that we are giving this number one spot to, is not just some angry, jealous petty type of God. But he is a God that is about the work of reconciling the world to himself. He wants to live in relationship with us that is the same kind of relationship that you see between a loving parent and their children.
OK so how do I start? 40 days is a long time to go without food. Well, first you don’t have to give up food, and second you don’t have to be extreme. Challenge yourself a little bit, but don’t do anything dangerous. If you don’t know where to start, begin in prayer. Ask God to lead you and guide you. Have him show you where to begin.
Small steps are good. Remember the important thing is inviting God to take that number one spot in our lives. That is it. How we show that is less important. Fast from movies or TV or candy. Fast from just one meal a day. There is no set formula.
So fasting is really a worthwhile thing, especially if we are using it as a way of inviting God to come in and take that number one spot in our lives. That means that this much more than a physical activity, but it really is a spiritual one as it focuses on our relationship with our God. Right, and helps us to balance our lives so that we don’t end up like that guy.
OK. I think I got it. Well if you would like to try this, and want some guidance or accountability, we will be available to talk with you after the service and you can join us this Lenten season in fasting. Sounds good. Your not going to go finish reading that Luther quote are you? I think we should fast from the rest of that.
No, but I will close with this song. As it is playing, use this time to invite our God to take back that number one spot and to break through all the junk and garbage that we try to fill our lives with. And may it be a blessing to you Now and always. Amen.