Joyful Fasting

"The word of the Lord of hosts came to Zechariah, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, adn the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be seasons of joy and gladness, and cheerful festivals for the house of Judah: therefore love truth and peace."
--Zechariah 8:18-19

"By the time of Zechariah Jews practiced the four regular fasts mentioned in this passage.  In contrast to the fasts tied to mourning that we see in many other passages, these fasts are to be 'seasons of joy and gladness.'  Here we find an interesting conjoining of two Spiritual Disciplines not usually thought of as going together: fasting and celebration.

"Many of those who have fasted describe the experience in joyful terms.  Dallas Willard writes, 'In fasting, we learn how to suffer happily as we feast on God.'  Augustine of Hippo writes, 'In his fasting, therefore, let a man rejoice inwardly in the very fact that by his fasting he is turning away from the pleasures of the world to make himself subject to Christ.'"
--Richard Foster, "A Year with God"

Today is the last day of our focus on fasting.  How did you do?  Did you give it a try?  Did you learn new ways to look at - and embrace - the idea of fasting?  Are you less intimidated and scared of it?  I would love to hear your stories!

Beginning with Easter, we begin a month of Celebration!  As you near the end of your time of fasting - maybe this weekend (many of us, including the Sunday School kids are fasting Good Friday to Easter Morning) - think of your abstention as a joyful thank-you to God for a blessing in your life!

Preparation

"Have you ever fasted to prepare for something?  If so, what was the result?  Think of something coming up that frightens you - a doctor's appointment, a plane trip, an exam or presentation.  Pray about it during your time of fasting today.

"Is fasting ever a bribe to get God to pay more attention to the petitions?  No, a thousand times no.  It is simply a way to make clear that we sufficiently reverence the amazing opportunity to ask help from the everlasting God, the Creator of the Universe, to choose to put everything else aside and concentrate on worshipping, asking forgiveness, and making our requests known - considering His help more important than anything we could do ourselves in our own strength and with our own ideas."
--Edith Schaeffer, L'Abri

Fasting - Worthy and Difficult

"In a more tangible, visceral way than any other spiritual discipline, fasting reveals our excessive attachments and the assumptions that lie behind them.  Food is necessary to life, but we have made it more necessary than God.  How often have we neglected to remember God's presence when we would never consider neglecting to eat!  Fasting brings us face to face with how we put the material world ahead of its spiritual source...

"Perhaps we can see, then, that the discipline of fasting has to do with the critical dynamic of accepting those limits which are life-restoring.  Our culture would seduce us into believing that we can have it all, do it all, and (even more preposterous!) that we deserve it all.  Yet in refusing to accept limits on our consumption or activity, we perpetuate a death-dealing dynamic in the world.  That is why the discipline of fasting is so profoundly important today."
--Marjorie Thompson, "Soul Feast"

Sunday at SPUMC - Mar. 28, 2010

Palm Sunday!!!  The palm branches were waving, the kids were marching with noisemakers, a feast was to be had!  A good day for a parade... 

We started off the day with Education Hour:
* The children learned about Jesus and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane - and about what it means to let God be in charge.
* The confirmands talked about the unexpectedness of Palm Sunday and the forgiveness found in Jesus' last 7 statements before he died.
*  Tom and Mari's group talked about the Christian Writer and Thinker, Karen Armstrong.
*  And the Wired Word talked about the sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church - acknowledging that this is not specific to only the Catholic Church.  They asked the question of when does silence become sinful?  And to what degree do you protect an institution such as the church, before protecting the people it serves?

Worship was full of fun and surprises!  Palm branches waved.  Mark had the children parade around the church - palm branches waving and noisemakers sounding!  Pastor Penny's sermon focused on the donkey in the story...  What would the donkey owner have thought when these disciples came to take it?  What purpose was behind riding in on a small donkey - one who had never been ridden - instead of in a mighty chariot?  In what ways do our choices reflect bringing Jesus to others in a humble way?  What is the "donkey" we use to carry Jesus to our world?  A totally new way to think on Palm Sunday...

Fellowship time was loud and festive - with a feast set out for all!  A wonderful kick-off to Holy Week!

Authenticity

"In our time people are longing for authenticity, particularly in their life of faith.  Fasting nurtures authenticity.  Fasting helps us draw near to God honestly and thankfully because who we are and what we desire are exposed.  We can give those desires to God in intercession and confession.

Are you willing to embrace discomfort as you create space in your life?  What would you like to learn from it?"
--Lynne Baab, "Fasting"

Challenging

"Our addiction to filling space and our discomfort with truth make the discipline of fasting challenging.  A pervasive cultural myth says that if we are well-adjusted people, we will be happy all the time.  A common religious myth tells us a similar lie - that God will make everything easy and peaceful.  These myths have impressed on our hearts the lie that if we are experiencing discomfort, we're doing something wrong or God has abandoned us.

"Fasting involves discomfort, sometimes the physical discomfort of hunger, other times the discomfort of disregarding our desire for media or shopping or some other treat.  Our culture tells us that discomfort indicates something is wrong.  Yet as we fast, we affirm the opposite.  Fasting acts out our commitment to the belief that there is more to life than transitory fulfillment of the moment's needs or wants.  Ultimately fasting affirms that God loves us and desires that we draw near to him.

"Because fasting is so profoundly counter-cultural, it may feel uncomfortable at first...  But we can continue to numb ourselves with a fast-paced life and endless indulgences; or we can embrace the challenge of creating space that might feel uncomfortable at times but will deepen our capacity for rich joy and powerful prayer.  Fasting brings us that challenge."
--Lynne Baab, "Fasting"

True Hunger

"Another reason to fast is to listen to what is truly inside us...  Because time goes more slowly while fasting and we step outside our daily routines and habits, we have time to notice those inner voices we usually miss...

"...What is my true hunger?  In what ways am I satisfying myself too easily with toys and mindless pleasures?  What does my desire for God really look like?  These are some of the questions we may find ourselves considering when we fast, and the answer to these questions will nourish our life of prayer."
--Lynne Baab, "Fasting"