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Journey Into Lent: Fasting

  • These two passages together present a juxtaposition about fasting.
  • Usually, initial juxtapositions allow us to see nuances in a topic that can often seem so monolithic like fasting
  • The concept seems pretty straight forward: fasting requires us to suspend the consumption (often food) for a period of time.
  • Our passages remind us how fasting can be integral and balanced in our lives.
  • ESTHER (Communal)
    • This is beginning of Esther's realization of what she's called to do and be
    • And the charge has consequence throughout all of God's people who remained in Babylon
    • As Esther turns to face her task, she invites the community to join in fasting and prayer.
    • This act connects the people with Esther.
    • These Lenten practices can continue to do the same thing for us now. When we join together in acts of discipline, we don't need to consider them solo acts, but instead in a community for a specific end.
  • GOSPEL (The End Matters)
    • Fasting towards an end is a critical component for writers in Scripture - to withhold for the sake of withholding is not a value anyone in Scripture seems to hold.
    • In the Gospel, Jesus is once again challenged, in a similar way to last week, as if to test what kind of rabbi he truly is (well, if he really was worth what everyone says he is, he'd clearly be fasting more).
    • And Jesus, through a series of rapid fire parables, reminds the people that there are things more important always than the act itself.
      • Simply going through the motions of something that you just felt like was the right thing to do is trying to apply old patches to new garments.
      • The garment, however, still needs patched, and it's not like Jesus himself did not fast
      • But instead, it's matching the practice for better ends:
        • The fundamental meaning of the parable is that individuals should receive the gift of God with wisdom sufficient for it. In the context of the issue of fasting, Pharisaic practice no longer has the correct attitude of faith. Trust and joy should replace atonement and justification by works. But it is essential to faith and joy that one cannot demand or command them. The parable has the function of provoking individuals, leading them to a decision, and thus pulling them away from dead ends.
        • Bovon, F., & Koester, H. (2002). Luke 1: a commentary on the Gospel of Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 194). Fortress Press.
        • Jesus is inviting to avoid dead ends in practice.
        • And certainly, we can see that: google "fasting" and you'll see all sorts of things about diets, but that's clearly not the same as what we're talking about here. If the end is just losing a couple pounds, great; but that's a dead end when it comes to everything that we try to focus on in Lent.
  • So what?
    • This weekend
      • Going to the art museum, and then to the Monster Jam
      • I made a comment that I'd like to see a Venn Diagram of folks who went to Art Museum Friday and then Monster Trucks on Saturday.
      • And after awhile, I started to think how nice it'd be to see those kind of diagrams expand, because not only were they both really fun experiences, but a world that connects communities together is one that looks a little more like an end I'd like to be a part of
      • Now, certainly it had be easy to scoff on one side or the other - if I'm honest, if given a choice, I'd pick the Art Museum 9 times out of 10. And I could hear the similar refrains to the folks with Jesus "oh, why would you do THAT..."
      • But, perhaps, this can be its own kind of a fast... a fast of comfortable location, a fast from judgment.
      • Turns out I had a great time, and got to spend time with good people.
    • When we're at our best as the church, we can do this
      • Story of supper clubs - people who are clearly in different places politically finding common ground - is that new wine in new wineskins? Community working towards a shared end?
      • When we are at our best, we welcome all sorts of folks and are willing to fast from our judgments, comforting though they might be, for something better.