Fasting and Feasting
The month of March marks the beginning of the
season of Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1 and continues
for forty days, excluding Sundays, until Easter. The word lent
means springtime and refers to the lengthening of the days that
we notice at this time of year. For Christians Lent traditionally
is the season of the church year for penitence, fasting, and
focusing on the life, the teachings, and the death of Jesus.
It is a time for us to think about who Jesus was, and is, for
us today.
This year our Lenten focus will take a little
different path. Rather than take the usual journey pictured
in one of the gospels of Jesus and the disciples making their
way to Jerusalem, we will focus on several of the promises of
God made to our ancestors - Noah, Abraham and Sarah, and Moses.
Through them and others, we may glimpse what it means to live
in God's presence, and to live as a righteous person. The stories
of these ancestors will provide a foundation for us to understand
how God's promise is fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection
of Jesus.
Upon sharing my themes and scriptures for preaching
during Lent, someone in a worship planning meeting said, "It
looks like we'll be having Lent lite this year." I don't
think so. We're simply taking a different approach. We are fasting
from the usual themes of discipleship and feasting on the themes
of God's promises and faithfulness.
In the list below you may find other things that
you wish to fast from or feast on during the season of Lent.
Lent is a time to….
| Fast from |
Feast on |
| Rushing |
Relaxing |
| Arguing |
Peacemaking |
| Television/computer time |
Family/quiet time |
| Fast food |
Enjoying food |
| Criticizing |
Complimenting |
| Complaining |
Giving thanks |
| Fear |
Trusting God |
| Resentment |
Forgiveness |
| Being a couch potato |
Exercise |
| Worry |
Faith |
Feel free to add items to this list for your Lenten
journey. May God be with us as we take a new path to Jerusalem
this year.
Fasting and feasting,
