Scripture: Isaiah 58:6-7 – “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?” (NRSV)
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, the season of penitence and preparation before Holy Week, the celebration of Christ’s passion and resurrection. On Ash Wednesday, Christians are anointed with ashes to remind them of their sins and the fact that, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It is a time of introspection, often marked by the spiritual discipline of fasting.
Fasts are designed to pull our minds out of the ordinary way of looking at things by denying food to the body. That physical hunger is supposed to be translated into spiritual contemplation. In the Bible, Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, not even turning stones to bread to ease his hunger. But traditionally, Christians in Lent undergo a more ritualized fast, such as abstaining from meat in favor of fish on Fridays. Whether you participate in the “fish fast” or not, Christians are encouraged to “give something up for Lent.” These can be enjoyable foods like chocolate or some other “bad habit” that one is trying to avoid. The question for us is, what are we going to give up?
It has been about a year since the coronavirus first started appearing in the United States, and we have been “giving up” both pleasurable luxuries and essential parts of life for quite a while now. While I hope that this year has been one marked by introspection and humility, I feel that for many people this has not been the case. Outside of his wilderness experience, Jesus was more of a feast kind of guy, regularly eating with others rather than fasting alone. Jesus was critical of those who bragged of their fasts in public, as if the fast in of itself solved anything.
In this, Jesus echoed his favorite prophet, Isaiah, who also was critical of fasts as proof of faith rather than as rituals that actually changed lives. This prophet looked at the fasts of his day and saw how ritualized fasts only led to more suffering for the poor and afflicted. What should be given up is not a minor luxury, but deeds which actively lead to the suffering of others. A better fast is not to deny yourself food, but to instead give that food to the hungry. It should be a time of giving from one’s bounty rather than just letting it go to waste.
Our church tradition in Lent is to collect food for the hungry, challenging each “column” of the church to give more than the others. Without live services, we are looking to collect grocery store gift cards instead. However, you choose to observe this season of Lent, I hope that you will look to how your way of living may impact others and give up the things which are harmful. Give up what is harmful but give out what is helpful to others. This is a fast which is truly pleasing to the Lord!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us in these forty days of fasting and prayer to bring peace to our souls and justice to your world. Amen.
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