Reminder

"Fasting reminds us that we care about "soul" things.  We care about the church.  We care about the world.  We care about doing God's will.  Thus we willingly set aside a little comfort so we can listen and attend to the voice and nourishment of God alone.  For God can give us grace and comfort and nurture we cannot get on our own."
--Adele Calhoun, "Spiritual Disciplines Handbook"

Have you decided on what to give up?  What your distraction is?
Have you thought about how to spend time with God instead?

This is why we do this...  For the grace and comfort that God alone can give. 
SO much better than a silly TV show... or a bag of chips... or a Facebook game...
Don't you agree?

Sunday at SPUMC - Mar. 7, 2010

A gloomy day outside - but lots of joy and celebration inside!  This Sunday we began our conversation about Fasting...  And we celebrated Mel and Sandy's continued service as our Financial Secretaries - for DECADES!  The blessings they have bestowed on this congregation through their gift of service is immeasurable!  We thank them from the bottom of our hearts as they retire from this position... 

During the Education Hour:
* The Children talked about finding ways to put Jesus first in their lives.
* The Cofirmands didn't meet - since they came in Thursday night to experience the quiet and holy space of Open Sanctuary.
* Wired Word talked about 2 recent celebrity suicides and the fact that in America suicide has a higher death rate than homicide...  Where do our Christian values fit into this discussion, and what does the Bible say about the meaning of life?
* Tom and Mari's group about "Christian Thinkers" focused on CS Lewis today.

Worship was uplifting and fun as we began the conversation about Fasting!  Jill did a fantastic job explaining the basic concept using a jar of M&Ms and a golf ball - an explanation that made ALL of us understand a little clearer!  And the conversation continued into the sermon time.  We were able to see past the idea of only fasting food - and of making ourselves miserable and weak in the process!  We shouted out ideas of the other things in our lives that distract us from the important things in life - all of which could be an example of something to be fasted.  We began to see that fasting can be done with joy, humbleness, and intention on seeking out God's presence in our lives.

As the month continues, I invite you to continue asking questions and talking to others about their thoughts and experiences with fasting.  I've already heard some amazing stories of how some people in our own congregation have been affected by participating in a fast!

Do What?

Now, you've examined your life...  You found some things that seem to take away from your time and devotion to God.  You began thinking about ways to spend time with God in the midst of fasting:

Read scripture
Pray
Listen
Be still
Go to church (or church activities)
Read inspirational Christian books
Write in a journal
Write down things you are thankful for
Spend time with a friend
Give money that would otherwise be spent on what you're fasting - to a charity

What do you plan to do?  Share your ideas!  We can all inspire one another!

Well?

Have you taken some time to examine our life?  What are the things that get in the way of spending time with God?

Junk food
Alcohol
TV
Video Games
Computer
Internet
Facebook
Sports
Exercise
Gossiping
Work
Talking on the phone
Texting
Complaining
Sugar
Reading
Shopping
Scrapbooking

What is yours?  And if you were to give it up - for a short period of time - how would you use that time and energy to focus on God?  Curious minds want to know...

Examining

"The discipline of fasting is meant to be one of joy and freedom. The basic definition of fasting for a Christian is 'saying no to otherwise normal activities for the sake of intense spiritual focus...

"...Fasting is traditionally associated with food, but it isn't limited to food. Fasting can be a time of denial of anything that allows us to avoid God, such as exercise, novels, TV, entertainment, shopping and conversation. In and of themselves, none of these things are bad, but when they get in the way of our worship and prayer life or keep us from serving others, then we need time of doing without them in our lives so that we can reevaluate our priorities."
--Spiritual Disciplines Devotional, by Valerie Hess

So... fasting starts with examining our lives.  What in our life, distracts us from what is really important?  From time with God?  From time with our families and friends?  From a healthy and whole lifestyle?

What are the things in your life that hold you back from a deeper and more fulfilling faith and family life?

What is a Fast?

"A fast is the self-denial of normal necessities in order to intentionally attend to God in prayer.  Bringing attachments and cravings to the surface opens a place for prayer.  This physical awareness of emptiness is the reminder to turn to Jesus who alone can satisfy."
--Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, by Adele Calhoun

Fasting is simply this:  Giving up something that is a normal part of our routine, in order to make time and space for God.

Maybe for you, it is giving up lunch, or meat, or caffeine... Maybe instead of eating lunch, you spend the time in prayer and scripture reading and donate the money you would have used for the food to a charity.  Maybe when you're craving a burger, you take a moment to give thanks to God for what you have, and have some pasta instead.  Maybe, as your craving for caffeine intensifies, you find yourself leaning on prayer to get you through the craving...

Maybe it's TV or video games, watching the news at all hours, or tending to your social networks online...  Maybe you give these things up one day a week, or a couple of hours a day.  I used to have the TV on in morning - and would get side-tracked from my reading and prayer time, it would interfere with exercising, and slow me down when getting ready for work.  As I've been fasting TV in the mornings since the beginning of Lent, my mornings are more focused, relaxed, and allow for more time with God.

There is no one way to fast.  A fast may look different for each of us.  It is not just about food.  And it shouldn't be about making ourselves miserable...  In fact, the Bible says we are not to be miserable when fasting, because, in point of fact, we are not miserable.  We are feeding on God.  It should be an exercise in joy and freedom!

And so, we continue to learn and grow and experiment with what fasting means for each of us...

A Month of Fasting

Oh boy...  What are we getting into now?!

FASTING?!

Seriously.  What do Methodists need to know about Fasting?  That's not part of who we are, right?!

Hmmm...  Yep.  It is.  Sorry to spring this on you.

Fasting is a Spiritual Habit (or Discipline) that goes back thousands of years, across all faith traditions.  It's actually mentioned in the Bible more times than even something as important as baptism!  (Baptism - 75 mentions, Fasting - 77!)  And John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, had plenty to say about Fasting!  For a time, he wouldn't even ordain new Methodist Ministers unless they fasted 2 days a week!

So yes.  Fasting is a deeply spiritual practice.  It is a Biblical practice.  It is a Methodist practice.

It is also probably the most feared and misunderstood of our Spiritual Habits.

So I hope you'll stay in the conversation this month of March - go on a journey with us to open your mind and heart to how God can be at work in your life through the practice of fasting.  I bet you'll learn a lot - and be able to put aside some common misunderstandings!

Join us in worship on Sunday for your "Intro" to Fasting!