Friday after Ash Wednesday -- February 24, 2012
Isaiah 58:6 - 8
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind."
As a spiritual practice, fasting is about saying, "No," to one thing in order to say a larger, "Yes," to something else.
For instance, we can say, "No," to food in order to let our hunger remind us of the more basic spiritual hunger that lives at the heart of us.
We can say, "No," to speech and noise in order to pay deeper attention to God's still, small voice (the spiritual practice of silence).
We may say, "No," to interaction with others for a season in order to know ourselves always and everywhere in the presence of God (the spiritual practice of solitude).
In short, fasting helps us to live more soulfully, more expansively and more generously. Ultimately, God said in Isaiah 58, fasting makes us more generous and expansive for the sake of others in the world.
Fasting doesn't make us "spiritual" and it doesn't score bonus points with God. It expands us so the "No's" we say to ourselves turn into "Yes's" said on behalf of others.
This is the kind of fasting that brings life to us . . . to others . . . and to the world.
To consider today: Perhaps you already decided to give up something for Lent. If so, notice today if you feel a tug toward that thing you are giving up . . . whether it is a particular food, an emotion or certain situations. Simply notice what it is like to say, "No" to that thing. And then, over the course of the day, see if some larger, "Yes" opens up. This larger, "Yes," will also require that you give your attention to it.
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
“Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind."
As a spiritual practice, fasting is about saying, "No," to one thing in order to say a larger, "Yes," to something else.
For instance, we can say, "No," to food in order to let our hunger remind us of the more basic spiritual hunger that lives at the heart of us.
We can say, "No," to speech and noise in order to pay deeper attention to God's still, small voice (the spiritual practice of silence).
We may say, "No," to interaction with others for a season in order to know ourselves always and everywhere in the presence of God (the spiritual practice of solitude).
In short, fasting helps us to live more soulfully, more expansively and more generously. Ultimately, God said in Isaiah 58, fasting makes us more generous and expansive for the sake of others in the world.
Fasting doesn't make us "spiritual" and it doesn't score bonus points with God. It expands us so the "No's" we say to ourselves turn into "Yes's" said on behalf of others.
This is the kind of fasting that brings life to us . . . to others . . . and to the world.
To consider today: Perhaps you already decided to give up something for Lent. If so, notice today if you feel a tug toward that thing you are giving up . . . whether it is a particular food, an emotion or certain situations. Simply notice what it is like to say, "No" to that thing. And then, over the course of the day, see if some larger, "Yes" opens up. This larger, "Yes," will also require that you give your attention to it.
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