Sorry, no clever April Fool’s post this year. If you can’t find anything else, Google always has some interesting offerings.
I did want to comment on one of the articles in today’s “Links To Go.” The ever-insightful N.T. Wright asks why we emphasize Lent over Resurrection Day, why suffering seems to find a better place in our churches than celebration does.
It’s a good question. To my mind, the Bible emphasizes Christians celebrating what Christ has done much more than it does “afflicting our souls” (to use the Old Testament term).
I would add that our celebration often picks up much from the secular celebrations of Spring. It’s easier to celebrate Easter than it is to celebrate the Resurrection.
What do you think? Are we too much into fasting and not enough into feasting?
Tim,
i find that Wright’s critique doesn’t really apply to my Orthodox parish. Orthodoxy does have the strictest Lenten fasting rules i’ve encountered thus far, but the Easter celebration i went to last year and which is coming up in May was a shocking party (compared to any American evangelical party i’d ever been to), and that season of celebration continues beyond the one day. The resurrection is a sort of season of the church just like Lent.
i will say that growing up CoC, i felt that there was deep suspicion of “celebration” altogether. i once listened to the pulpit minister in a church where i was youth minister preach an entire sermon lambasting the church across town for calling their children’s worship a “celebration” complete with pictures of kids jumping up and down and laughing.
But even beyond worship wars, what were celebrations like? Food. The atmosphere still quite suppressed and somber and even (forgive me) nursing-home-ish, but there just happened to be food. That’s hardly a celebration–we all would’ve eaten that day anyway.
i would like to know, though, why, growing up in the CoC, i was never introduced to fasting as a spiritual practice.
–guy
Guy,
I spoke about fasting and laying on of hands at a preachers’ meeting in Cuba last month. Kind of new concepts to a lot of our people.
Tim
I think guy brought out a good question. If the Bible says to fast then why were we never introduced to fasting as a spiritual practice. Is it because our lives should be living sacrifices? …present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God…..Romans 12:1-2. Please explain a living sacrifice…..
One reason why fasting was often downplayed when I was growing up was what Jesus said about not telling others when you fast. Some felt that to talk about it was to brag about it, thus violating Jesus’ teachings.
I think the first verses of Acts 13 show that the early church not only fasted, they did it as a corporate worship exercise. It’s the “sixth act” of worship that doesn’t get included very often.
As for living sacrifice, I think that’s much like what Jesus said in Luke about taking up our cross daily. It’s the attitude of giving ourselves over to God and His will, every single day.
Tim,
i never actually heard anyone growing up say that we didn’t teach it publicly *because* of Jesus’ command to do it in secret. That’s interesting.
i experienced 3 basic reactions to the topic of fasting: (1) Complete neglect–never speak of it or bring up the topic at all, (2) “you can if you want, but you don’t have to, it’s up to you” [imagine if that was a preacher’s line on instrumental music–how long would his job last?], and (3) “that’s more of a Catholic thing, and we don’t do the things they do.”
–guy
Guy,
I guess I’m thinking of some things I heard in college. Two professors were very open in talking about fasting weekly. Another accused them of violating Matthew 6. I felt like their talking about it helped others study a subject that was being neglected in churches of Christ.
Tim
Tim,
In Orthodoxy, the times and days of the year during which you are to fast are already set, and precisely what you are to fast from is already set. But whether or not you as an individual are submitting to that tradition is up to you. And if you are, the rule is you are not to tell anyone that you’re doing it. And if you are in any situation where someone out of hospitality offers you something that would otherwise break the fast, the rule is you eat/drink it gratefully period and don’t mention anything to them about fasting.
But they are also clear that fasting for the wrong reasons is worthless. It must be accompanied by prayer and embarked upon as a means to increase self-discipline and commune with God. If any sinful attitudes accompany the act (pride, vanity, etc.), then it would be better to stop doing it.
But notice, learning all this requires that *someone* teaches you about fasting….out loud. ;)
–guy
God bless you .