** Just a reminder! Family Night is on Wednesday, and Game Night on Saturday! See the schedule at the very bottom!
February 11, 2025
Friends,
Lent always sneaks up, even in a year like this where it’s a rather late start. Ash Wednesday is on March 5, which is just about 3 weeks away.
So, I’m trying to get a head start on thinking about fasting, and I’m here to encourage you to do the same!
Fasting for Lent is a good exercise. It’s good, not for dietary or health reasons, but because it disciplines your flesh. At its root, fasting is simply going hungry. When you feel hunger and choose not to eat, you’re saying “no” to your appetite. Normally, your appetite for food is a good thing – you need food in order to live. But it’s also an opportunity to practice saying “no” when the stakes are low.
It’s like training for a sport. You practice the skills and run the plays when there’s no opponent on the field and there’s no pressure to win. You practice and practice so that on game day, when it matters, the skills are second nature and the plays run themselves.
Fasting is practice in saying “no” to a healthy appetite, so that when sinful appetites and desires show up, the skill of saying “no” is second nature and your defensive play runs itself. You practice crucifying your flesh when the stakes are low, so that when temptation is knocking and sin is crouching at the door, you are ready to rule over it.
How to do it? It’s a discipline, and like all disciplines, it’s helpful to be thoughtful and methodical. Take the discipline of tithing for instance. If you struggle to give 10%, my advice would be to start smaller. Start at 1% and build up, maybe add 1/2% every month. Slow but deliberate change accumulates over time, and when it comes to spiritual discipline that’s really important to remember.
The same thing goes for fasting. Start simple and small. Let yourself go hungry for a bit. When you feel like eating, set a timer and wait 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour. Build up to skipping a meal altogether once or twice a week. Or you could start with smaller portions, and wean yourself off of some kind of food all together for the season.
The bottom-line is: start somewhere. Slow but deliberate exercise builds up over time, and the spiritual benefits of fasting are granted by the Holy Spirit himself.
Saying “no” is hard, so when you feel hungry, take it as a reminder to pray. Give thanks to God for your daily bread. Take it as an opportunity to open the Scriptures and feed on God’s Word. Take it as a chance to share what you have with others who are in need. Take it as evidence that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Take it as an occasion to confess your sins and receive forgiveness from God. Turn your attention from your hunger to the reward promised by your heavenly Father – righteousness and the treasures of his kingdom.
To put it all into perspective, consider Jesus’ instructions about fasting: “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18).
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
COMING EVENTS:
Wednesday, February 12
9:30 am – Chapel
10:00 am – Bible Study
5:30 pm – Family Night
7:00 pm – Vespers
Saturday, February 15
5:30-8:30 pm – Family Game Night
Sunday, February 16
9:00 am – Divine Service
10:30 am – Bible Study/Sunday School