Fasting: From What and For What

[Every once in awhile--maybe twice a year--I get to speak to the "big people" at church. This was the sermon I preached last night, posted for your enjoyment and edification.]

Ash Wednesday 2009

Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 103
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

An Irishman moved into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry, walked into the pub and ordered three beers. The bartender raised his eyebrows a wee bit, but (with reservation) served the man the three beers, which he took to a nearby table and quietly drank them all by himself.The next evening the man came to the pub and again ordered three beers and carried them to table by himself and proceeded to drink the three beers all by himself. For weeks, this man came into the pub regularly and when he did, he ordered 3 beers and took them to a table and drank the 3 beers all by himself.Soon the entire little hamlet of County Kerry was whispering about the "man who orders three beers."Finally, after many weeks, the bartender broached the subject on behalf of the village."I don't mean to be prying but folks around here are wonderin why your always order three beers and drink them alone?""Tis a wee bit odd I would be supposin" the man replied. "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America and the other went to Australia. We promised each other that we would always order two extra beers, whenever we would partake, as a way of keeping up the family bond."The bartender and the entire hamlet of County Kerry were pleased with his answer and with the reverence for family and soon the "man who orders three beers" became somewhat of a local celebrity and source of pride to the hamlet.Then one evening the man came in and ordered only two beers. The bartender served them with a heavy heart. The Irishman took them to the table and drank the 2 beers all by himself. On the next visits to the pub, the "man who orders three beers," would only order two beers. And drink them all by himself. Word spread around the hamlet quickly. Prayers were offered for the soul of one of the brothers. The next day, the bartender said to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer our condolences to you for the death of your brother, you know - only two beers."The man pondered for a moment then replied, " You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided to give up beer for Lent."

We have been conditioned to think of Lent as a time for giving up something—something we want—and living in a society which teaches us we should HAVE everything that we WANT makes this difficult. We are rocking the boat, going against the grain, choosing what is hard over what is easy. We are expected to fail, to fall short, to succumb to temptation. We are expected to be grumpy, to complain, and to take advantage of any loopholes we may devise (like the man who ordered three beers). And if by some superhuman effort we succeed in giving up something we want, we are to be admired, congratulated, and held up as a lofty example for others to worship and adore.

We are conditioned to think that we should never give up something without getting something in return. All of our political and economic dealings are explicitly handled in this fashion, and many of our less formal social interactions have this as a hidden agenda. We should never be short-changed; our objective is to come out ahead, and convince the other party that what we are giving up is of far greater worth than what we are getting in return (all the while secretly knowing that is NOT the case).

And so it is that we are conditioned to bargain with God. IF we decide to give up something for God, then we think—consciously or unconsciously—he will OWE us something. Whether we relegate it to heavenly blessings in the future, or expect to “name it and claim it” here on earth, there is a part of us that thinks that what we do for God—or especially what we REFRAIN from doing for the sake of God—has got to result in some blessing for US. Why else would we do it? Or NOT do it?

This is where Isaiah’s audience was. They assured themselves, they assured others, and they even assured God that they were people who were seeking the Lord daily, delighting to know his ways, praying for justice and drawing near to God. Most importantly, and probably most OBVIOUSLY, they were FASTING, and they wanted everyone to know. By Jesus’ day this was down to an art form, with all of the make-up and costumes of a stage play. People would look gloomy, disfigure their faces, and cover themselves with sackcloth and ashes. They might have even hired someone to blow a trumpet to call everyone’s attention to the fact, “Look at me, I’m FASTING!”

Whatever they were doing, it failed to get God’s attention, and they were TICKED! “Why have we fasted, and you see it not?” the people scream at God. “Why have we HUMBLED ourselves, and you take no notice? I mean, just LOOK at what we’ve given up! Didn’t you SEE the RESTRAINT I exercised there! That was quite a tasty meal I passed up! And the DESSERT! Aunt Suzy made her special cheesecake just for me, and I didn’t have ONE SLICE! And HUMBLE—humble pie, that’s all I had! Did you SEE how hard I worked on that clean-up day? That was certainly BENEATH someone of my birth and breeding, but I DID it! And that’s not even my GIFT! Man, it takes a REALLY HOLY MAN to do that kinda stuff! Yes SIR! I gotta be the holiest person I know! And HUMBLE too! So where’s my blessing, huh? Whatcha gonna do for me, now, after ALL I’ve done for YOU!”

[Shrill sound of a trumpet blast].

“Lift up your voice like a trumpet” God tells Isaiah. Trumpets in those days were not soothing jazz instruments, but something more like an air raid siren. The Pharisees may have have gathered little crowds with their trumpets, but God’s trumpets brought down the walls of Jericho, called the people to repentance in Joel’s day, and the seven trumpets of Revelation will end the world as we know it. God is trying to get our attention.

“Cry aloud, and do not hold back…Declare to my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins.” There is nothing we can do to make ourselves holy, to make ourselves acceptable, or to put God in our debt. The Creator of heaven and earth is not some puny pagan deity that can be made to do what we want by any kind of bargaining, cajoling, or use of sympathetic magic. That is the kind of religion the Israelites were supposed to put an end to when God brought them into the promised land. It is a false worship, a fasting that ends in fistfights, a piety of pride, a praise that tries to cover up oppression. This is not the worship, not the service, not the kind of fasting God wants.

What is it that God wants? Once he has the attention of these supposed worshippers, what does he tell them? Does he slap them down for their pride, remind them of their puniness like Job or give them pointers on how to purify their worship and offer better sacrifices. That might be what we would expect, but no. Instead, he directs their attention to their neighbors, the ones they are getting in fistfights with and oppressing. God tells them, “If you really want to please me, if you really want to know what kind of fasting gets my attention, then try putting your neighbor first. If you are really concerned about justice, don’t just pray about it, DO SOMETHING! Loose some yokes, forgive some debts, feed some hungry people, give what you have to those who need it.” And we say, “That’s not worship, that’s service! That’s not UP, that’s OUT! Let’s keep these things straight!” But they’re really all connected, because, God says in I John 4:20, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

THEN, God says, “you shall call and the Lord will answer, you will cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ THEN shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as noonday. THEN the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places, you shall be like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”

Already, I can hear the wheels turning. “Ok, so if I fast AND do service projects AT THE SAME TIME, THEN I will gain God’s favor for being a holy person, and win all the benefits and blessings that I want!” No. Although your neighbors will certainly appreciate it more, there is still no way we can EARN God’s favor. But fortunately we don’t have to; Jesus Christ has taken care of that. All our righteousness is like filthy rags, as Isaiah tells us elsewhere, but if we are in Jesus, Paul tells us, we have the righteousness of Christ.

So fasting is fine, giving up things for Lent is fine, but let us be careful of HOW and WHY we do whatever we do.

A bulrush bows before the breeze, NOT to prove what a good bulrush it is, or because it hopes to gain something from the breeze; it is simply submitting to a greater force. When John on Patmos heard someone speak to him in a voice like a trumpet, he fell at his feet as though dead. When the Alpha and Omega speaks to us, we have no choice but to listen, and he tells us our attitude should be one of those who say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”