Becoming Like Christ: The Fast That God Chooses
Wednesday, February 17
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The Fast That God Chooses
Isaiah 58:5-9
Rev. Beth Jackson-Jordan
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent for Christians around the world. The season of Lent continues for forty days leading to the celebration of Easter. The season of Lent is a time for repenting of sins and renewing our faith.
Traditionally, the imposing of ashes follows the Biblical tradition in which God’s people humbled themselves and sought forgiveness by wearing ‘sackcloth’ and rubbing ashes on the forehead. The ashes remind us of our need for forgiveness as well as our mortality.
This earthly body will not last forever and we find hope in the promise of new life through our faith in Christ.
Many of our friends from other faith traditions have similar seasons for repentance and renewal. We have different rituals and symbols but all recognize the human need for repentance, forgiveness, and renewal.
Traditional ways of observing the season of Lent are denying ourselves something we enjoy or fasting from eating. Sometimes we may get caught up in the traditional ways of observing Lent and forget the real meaning of this season of the church year.
This year, in particular, we may feel that we have just gone through a whole year of Lent. We have all sacrificed and been deprived of many things during this pandemic. Many have suffered unthinkable losses and many have served others in heroic and sacrificial ways.
So what is the meaning we need to look for this year as we journey through the season of Lent?
In Isaiah 58:5-9, we hear God’s description of ‘the fast that I choose’. In these words we hear a description of a world in which people care for each other, in which the hungry are fed, the homeless have housing, and the bonds of injustice are undone so the oppressed can be free.
The achievement of this vision of the world is something all people of faith called to be a part of. This passage is a reminder of God’s vision which should also be our vision. Committing ourselves to God’s vision of the world is what the season of Lent is about.
Whatever ways we choose to observe Lent, the purpose is not just taking away things we enjoy for the sake of self-denial. The purpose is to experience some time of letting go and making space for God’s purpose to be renewed in our life.
How can we redirect our energy and our lives so that we are helping bring about God’s dream of a world that is just and beautiful for all?
The purpose of Lent is pausing to remember that the gifts we were given and the blessings we enjoy are to be used for God’s purposes?
There is a famous quote by the artist Michelangelo who, when asked how he went about creating the great sculpture of David, responded:
“I created a vision of David in my mind and simply carved away everything that was not David.”
During this season of Lent, may we let God carve away those things that are unnecessary so that we can be all that God has created us to be and can be a part of God’s work in creating a just and beautiful world that honors all of God’s people.
The promise of the Bible is that this is the fast that God chooses – being actively involved in achieving God’s vision. And if we choose this fast, the scripture says, “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.”
In this season of Lent may we make space for God and God’s vision in our hearts and in our lives. Amen
About “Becoming Like Christ” (Weekly Lenten Reflections)
In 2019, we developed a 7-week long series packed full of devotions called “Exploring Humanity and Divinity.” It was about wrestling with our humanity as we seek to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
After a tumultuous last year, and with tensions high on political, cultural, and social levels, it seems that “wrestling” is just as relevant today as it was two years ago.
In that spirit, we believed it would be healthy to resurrect a similar theme to this year’s Lenten devotional series: Becoming Like Christ.