Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor's Page
Dear Friends in Christ,
On February 18th we officially began our Lenten journey with our Ash Wednesday service. The statement that I read to the congregation before the imposition of ashes reminds us that everybody observes Lent in a different way. One of the ways mentioned is fasting. So as to not take anything for granted, fasting is denying yourself of something for a period of time. Some people think this practice is “Roman Catholic.” But it’s not. Martin Luther encouraged fasting—if done for the right reason. But even further back than that, Jesus Himself spoke positively about fasting. In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus tells us the right way and the wrong way to fast. Obviously, in this passage He was talking about fasting from food. The thing you deny yourself of isn’t the point, though. It’s the attitude of your heart. And I would have you note in these verses that Jesus says “when you fast,” rather than “if you fast.” In other words, it was a spiritual practice Jesus encouraged and even expected believers to engage in. That ought to give us incentive to consider fasting, whether during Lent or any time of the year.
So, let’s talk about fasting for a little bit. Let me repeat, fasting is denying yourself of something for a period of time. Most people automatically think only of food as the “something.” And yes, that is a common item to fast from. You may choose to go without food for 24 hours. It’s always a good idea to think of something positive to replace your fasted item with. So, quite often Christians who fast from food will fill their normal meal times with prayer, meditation, or Scripture reading. Another option when it comes to fasting from food is to just choose a particular kind of food to deny yourself of. For instance, it may be chocolate or desserts or whatever you really enjoy. Catholics will often not eat meat on a Friday as part of their fasting. However, in case you’re wondering, fish is allowed so you can thank them for the plethora of fish specials that we can enjoy during Lent!
While we’re talking about fasting from food, if you think back to your Catechism days, you’ll remember how Luther commended the practice of fasting before Holy Communion… as long as it was voluntary and not mandatory (which the Roman Catholic Church requires.) I encourage you to consider trying this and I’ll explain why. If you decide to fast before the Lord’s Supper on Sunday, that probably means your last meal will be on Saturday evening. Guess what your tummy is going to be doing by 9:30 a.m. on Sunday? It will growl or let you know in some way that you haven’t eaten your breakfast (assuming you usually do.) When it does, let that hungry feeling lead you to ask why you haven’t eaten yet. That in turn will lead you to remember that you’re fasting in preparation of Holy Communion. And each time you think of it, that can lead you to reexamine your heart to make sure that you’re truly ready to receive Christ’s body and blood worthily in the Sacrament.
But I hope you see that food is not the only thing you can choose to fast from during Lent. You can abstain from alcohol (other than the wine in the Lord’s Supper.) Or maybe you’ll abstain from tobacco products. By the way, fasting from these items is a good practice in general and here’s why. I do this occasionally in my life to test myself to see if these things have their hooks in me so deep that I can’t do without them.
Anyway, if you choose to not fast from any of the above, there’s something that I think just about every one of us can benefit from. I recently read of a prominent religious person who recommends regular “Technology Sabbaths.” You pick a day of the week and you consciously shut your cellphone off and don’t turn it on until your 24-hour Sabbath is complete. This could also be done with other electronic devices such as laptops, tablets, or video games.
Ah, but what if you have the excuse like me that you’re “on call” 24 hours a day and you need your phone to remain on. Well, that doesn’t exclude us from fasting from it. For example, I have certain podcasts on YouTube that I like to watch daily. I don’t have to, though. So, my fast during Lent is to limit my time watching those if not eliminating them all together for those 40 days. Trust me, my life won’t fall apart without them. And neither will yours.
Another thing you might consider fasting from is television. Believe it or not you can survive without it. If abstaining from TV sounds too hard, then how about fasting from the news during Lent? During Covid, Gayleen got fed up with all the negativity and quit the TV news cold turkey. And we haven’t gone back since. Guess what? My life is much happier. I still pay attention to the news, just not through the TV.
Related to that, I’d also challenge you to consider fasting from social media during Lent. Here too, Gayleen and I left Facebook during Covid and we haven’t missed it a bit. Or you may have other social media that you visit regularly. Pick one and try fasting from it.
I could go on and on. But this should suffice. Let me close by circling back to the beginning. Fasting in general can be a great spiritual discipline. Not just during Lent but anytime of the year. But never forget the stipulation Jesus placed on it. If you’re doing it to show off to others or because you think it’ll win you brownie points with God, then don’t bother. You are wasting your time. On the other hand, if fasting will get you to focus and meditate more on what Jesus did for you through His innocent suffering and death, then by all means, give it a try. You may be surprised at how healthy it can be for your soul.
In Christ, Pastor Don Meyer
