Although the Bible doesn’t give a direct command on this issue, examples of fasting appear in both the Old and the New Testaments. One of the most telling passages in which fasting is mentioned is Matthew 6:16, where Jesus is teaching His disciples basic principles of godly living. When speaking on fasting, He begins with,…
40 Days of Decrease: Discontentment
After committing for the third time in prayer to drink the cup if no other way existed for it to be emptied, Jesus returned to His disciples and said, Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let…
Lent: He Must Increase, I Must Decrease
Editor’s note: While the tradition of Lent and fasting (or giving something up) is not traditional for most evangelical Christians, there is a growing interest among many believers to use these weeks before Easter to draw closer to Christ, remember His sacrifice, and ready our hearts to celebrate His Resurrection! In her popular book 40 Days…
Lent: Uncluttering of the Soul
The sabbatical started more suddenly and violently than anticipated. A high fever, a few scans, multiple masses, possibly a lethal abscess… the specialists convened, conferred, counseled me to cancel all engagements, and began cutting. The reduction had begun. Though the masses, thankfully, were all benign, my body did not respond well to the invasion. The…
Don’t Fast Pass Your Grief
Decrease Today’s Reading: John 12:44-50 Fifteen months1 after John the Baptist was imprisoned, Herod Antipas — the son of Herod the Great who reigned at the time of Jesus’ birth — beheaded John to save face at a banquet.2 John’s decrease was now complete. All eyes turned to Jesus. Matthew recorded that, “When Jesus heard…
Lent: Ask God What to Fast
It has been a few years — fourteen, now that I think about it — since we were in a church that celebrated Lent. We attended an Episcopal church in town back then and enjoyed it very much. It was there that we learned something of the observance of Lent, that forty-day period of personal…
Fast Regret
Editor’s Note: “What are you giving up for Lent?”. Chocolate? Designer coffee? Social media? Carbs? Forty days later, some feel disappointed, some feel surprised by their success, but perhaps few feel spiritually renewed. We ache to meaningfully honor Christ’s resurrection. Yet, in practice, this focal point in the liturgical calendar is often a celebration of…