Over the summer, Trinity is focusing on practices of faith. Practices of faith are spiritual disciplines that are regularly repeated and help us connect to the Holy Spirit, live in imitation of the life of Jesus, and strengthen our love of God and each other. When we regularly participate in and implement these practices in our lives, we become better equipped in our work to serve God and serve our neighbors.
Over the past weeks, we have talked about testimony and sabbath. Testimony is a succinct summary of our faith we can share with others. Sabbath is taking time off from our regular activities to restore and rest and reflect on our faith. This week, we are turning to one of the other very traditional faith practices — fasting. Fasting is a part of religious practices in many faith traditions, not just Christianity. Historically, fasting is refraining from eating or drinking for a specific period of time. Many of us have fasted for medical purposes; individuals have fasted for religious purposes over the centuries.
Listen now to one of Jesus’ instructions regarding fasting, as it is recorded in Matthew chapter 6:
Scripture Matthew 6:16-18
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Let us pray…..
Message Fasting
When I laid out the order of the topics we are focusing on this summer, our “faith practices,” I randomly put fasting on this date….June 29. LIttle did I realize that I would be preparing this week for an up-coming medical procedure….it is one of those fun procedures people over a certain age have to get on an annual basis…and so, all week, I will be eating a low-fiber diet and avoiding seeds, nuts, and popcorn. And, watching what I eat as I prepare for the big day. So, I am fasting this week, but not for spiritual reasons. :)
For us, as UCC Protestants, we are not required to fast like many of our fellow followers of God do. Faithful Roman Catholics give up meat on Fridays during Lent. Faithful Greek Orthodox Christians fast on Wednesdays and Fridays year round – they abstain from meat, eggs, dairy products, fish, wine and oil 104 days a year. During Lent and Advent, Greek Orthodox Christians fast every day. Muslim believers fast throughout the year and every day during the 29 days of the annual Ramadan feast. Hindu believers fast throughout the years—it seems like they have fasting holidays quite often. Jewish believers have both ‘major' and 'minor' fast days – twice a year, on Yom Kippur and Tish B’Av, all Jewish people fast for 24 hours. On other days, they fast during daylight hours.
Protestants don’t emphasize fasting. In the centuries since the Protestant Reformation, we have stopped doing many things because they are done by Roman Catholics – some of the things we have let go of are just because we want to be different than our Roman Catholic neighbors. Apparently, early in the Reformation, when Protestants were emphasizing that we are saved by God’s grace and not through our own good works, Protestants were told not to fast….since we couldn’t obtain salvation by doing things like praying a rosary or giving up meat during Lent, we dropped these activities entirely.
But, perhaps we should re-adopt fasting….not because we think we can earn salvation by eating less, but because refraining from things we enjoy, for a time, helps us to focus on our faith without distraction. We notice when we are hungry. We notice when we are thirsty. We notice when our food is unseasoned or plain. If we adhered to Greek Orthodox fasting practices, and had two days a week without meat, eggs, dairy products, fish, wine and oil, we would become acutely aware of the absence of almost all of the “normal” foods we eat. And, sometimes, when we are uncomfortable, we are more open to the presence of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
After his baptism, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. There, he lived surrounded by wild animals. He fasted. He prayed. He slept on the uncomfortable ground. Jesus spent 40 days preparing his heart for the work he was about to undertake. Jesus was uncomfortable – seriously uncomfortable. During his period of discomfort, Jesus prayed and talked to God. Jesus considered his options – it says in the scripture that he was tempted by the Devil. Even if he wouldn’t have been tempted by the Devil, Jesus had choices to make…he could have bailed out-–he could have decided to return to Nazareth and resume carpentry and get married and start a family and settle down to a quiet, peaceful life. But, he didn’t. Instead, he dedicated his life to serving others, and gave his life for the salvation of many.
Why should we fast? Protestants don’t have to fast, we are under no obligation or mandate to fast. But, Jesus fasted and members of all of the other world religions fast. Sometimes, a bit of discomfort is good. Jesus fasted to prepare himself to do God’s work. When we fast, we are also able to prepare ourselves to do God’s work….Fasting invites us to quiet down our inner voice that wants immediate gratification: that wants hunger to be soothed immediately, that wants boredom to be soothed immediately, that turns to our phones and asks Siri or HeyGoogle to answer every question that pops into our minds. It is important for us to pause and pray and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Fasting helps us to separate ourselves from the demands of our everyday lives and focus on God. We are constantly bombarded with demands on our time and attention. We are busy most of the time. When we take a pause, and quiet down that inner voice that makes demands on us, and take a break from our normal routine of work, food, chores, food, sleep, we are able to focus more on God, listen more attentively to the Holy Spirit, and consider how we are practicing our faith in the world. Jesus fasted to prepare himself for God’s demands on him; we fast to strengthen and prepare ourselves for the opportunity to serve God in our lives.
Sometimes, it is good to be a little uncomfortable, so that we can hear more clearly God’s Holy Spirit’s voice calling to us to do justice, love mercy and to walk humbly with our Lord.
Amen.
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