The Gift of Fasting
Lord, as we enter the third week of our Lenten journey, guide us on the path that leads to you. Fill our hearts with gratitude, patience, strength and peace. Help us to grow closer to you this Lent through the practice of fasting. In your name we pray, Amen.
Fasting must forever center on God. More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us.
-Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline
BREAKING THE ICE
Is there something in your life that you can’t imagine living without?
REFLECTION
A few weeks back I was shopping at Talbots and hadn’t realized that I happened to be dressed from head to toe in Talbott’s clothes. Because of my outfit, another shopper mistook me for a salesperson, began to hand me several hangers of clothes, and asked me if I would open a dressing room for her! I wonder if something like this has ever happened to you.
Has someone assumed you did or were doing something because you were in the wrong location, or you fit the look? For example, people who wear yoga pants aren't always doing yoga! When this happens, do you admit the truth or let them believe what they thought? In the situation above at Talbots, I took the woman’s hangers, started walking to the back of the store and hung her future wardrobe choices on the back of one of the dressing room doors. Then, on the way out, I leaned over and said to the woman, “By the way, I don’t work here! I just like shopping here too!”
Perhaps some of us have included fasting from a particular type of food in our Lenten practice (e.g., fasting from sugar, caffeine, carbs, etc.) without particularly taking the time to grow or learn from the fast. But fasting is not about dieting; it's about denying ourselves something to help us refocus our minds and hearts, and to deepen our faith in Christ. In other words, fasting isn’t for show!
In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus describes three common spiritual disciplines in his time (almsgiving, prayer, and fasting). He was warning about becoming like religious hypocrites - doing these spiritual disciplines for show without having hearts changed by them. The point Jesus makes about all these practices is that they are meaningful and worshipful when they are done with the intention of worshiping God, rather than trying to make a good impression, prove oneself in front of other people, or be some "superstar" for Christ!
In Jesus’ time, anointing with oil was a symbol of joy, but people usually fasted and put ashes on their heads when they were mourning. So, when Jesus instructs, “when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,” he is directing them to do the opposite of what would normally be expected when fasting! Jesus is trying to make a point here. Verse 18 tells us that what we fast from should be between God and us, no one else. By keeping it on the down low, Jesus is emphasizing that this is a personal and private decision, not meant to be made for or by other people.
Fasting is a less common spiritual discipline now than it was in Jesus’ time, and it is more common in some cultures than others. But fasting can be a worshipful and transformative spiritual discipline for some people. It is about more than what we give up or even how well we stick to what we are fasting from (which can be different for different people). It helps us to remember that we worship God not only with our minds and hearts, but with our whole bodies. It is a tangible way of practicing sacrifice for God’s sake. It can help us focus on God and prayer, just as Jesus fasted for forty days during his temptation in the wilderness. Fasting is not meant to be an isolated practice but can be integrated as part of a worshipful life. Consider Pope Francis’ words below:
Do you want to fast this Lent?
- Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
- Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
- Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
- Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
- Fast from worries and trust in God.
- Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
- Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
- Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
- Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.
- Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
- Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.
WRESTLING WITH THE WORD
Read Matthew 6:16-18
- How is fasting different than dieting, or just abstaining from food?
- Why did the Pharisees want others to know they were fasting? Are there ways that we do the same? Why?
- What is the purpose behind this teaching? Do you think Jesus expects his followers to fast?
Next Steps
- Many are apprehensive about fasting as a spiritual discipline. What could fasting do for you if you occasionally practiced it?
- Often during Lent, Christians “give up” something. Is this the same as fasting? Why or why not?
- Fasting offers us an opportunity to focus on God. What things distract you from time with Jesus?
PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Save me oh God, for I am sinking. Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame. I humble myself by fasting. My prayer reaches you at just the right time. God, in your great and faithful love, answer me with your certain salvation! I will praise you with song, I will magnify your name, for you listen to the needy. Amen. (based on Psalm 69:1,6-13)
READINGS ABOUT MEDITATING ON SCRIPTURE
- Isaiah 58:3-7 (Voice) - A dramatic reading about fasting.
• Esther 4:12-17 (NIV) - Remembering Esther's fast.
• Acts 13:1-3 (NIV) - Fasting and praying in the New Testament.