You have been Eastered RUMC 4/20/14

You have been Eastered

RUMC 4/20/14

The Sunday School teacher asked the class about the meaning of Easter, and the hand of one little boy shot up. "I know," he said confidently, "Easter is when we put up a pine tree and decorate it with lights, wrap presents for each other and sing lullabies to Baby Jesus." "No," said the teacher, "You've got Easter confused with Christmas...does anybody else know?"

With that, a little girl's hand shot up. "Easter is when you fill the house with the smell of cooking turkey, watch football all day, and give thanks for all our relatives who come for dinner." "NO," said the teacher, "Someone must understand the meaning of Easter."

Another little boy in the class thought he knew. "Easter is when we decorate the front of the house in American flags, go to a big parade, and shoot off fireworks all night." "No, no, no," cried the exasperated teacher, "Doesn't anyone know?"

 Finally, the quietest kid in the class raises her hand. "Easter is when we remember that Jesus died on a cross for our sins. He was buried in a cave.”  "Yes! That's right," interrupted the relieved teacher, but then the child finished, "And then after a couple of days the rock gets rolled away...Jesus comes out and if he sees his shadow, there'll be six more weeks of winter."

Those children are not the only ones confused about the meaning of Easter. As we sit here celebrating the most Christian of all the holidays many of our friends think that Easter is about new clothes, bunnies and brightly colored eggs. Of course, they are missing the whole point.

However, I think many in the church miss the point of Easter too. Let me suggest to you that if we think of Easter as an historical event we are cutting the legs off of Easter. If we think of Easter as a one-day holiday on the calendar, we have probably sold Easter short of its potential. Easter cannot be contained in one day. It cannot be explained in one sermon. Easter is the pivotal event in history that changed everything between God and people. It is nothing less than the greatest event in human history.

In his Ash Wednesday sermon, Pastor Joel referred to Gerard Manley Hopkins’ writing entitled, "The Wreck of the Deutschland". In which he wrote “Let God Easter in us.” That night I decided that my Easter sermon was going to be about Easter as a verb.  Or Letting God Easter us.

I want to tell you today that if we only use Easter as a Noun we are probably shortchanging both God and ourselves. You may have come here to celebrate Easter the noun, I hope you go home having encountered Easter the verb.  I hope you leave here having been eastered.

You see, to me Easter is not a noun, but a verb, an action word.

Those women at the tomb didn’t see the empty tomb, visit with the risen Christ and walk away as the same women did they. They were different people after they were Eastered.

Peter was just as cowardly as the rest of the disciples on the night Jesus was arrested, caving in as soon as someone got too close and said, “You were with that man weren’t you?” But after his visit to the empty tomb… after his breakfast with the risen Christ on the beach he was a different man. He was bold and courageous. Peter became a great preacher and evangelist. Not even the prospect of losing his own life  on his own cross stopped him from spending his life for Jesus. He was a different person after he was Eastered.

Saul was a Pharisee, a hard core Jew. He followed the law to the letter. He ate slept and lived the law. He spent his days persecuting Christians and stoning people like Stephen. After his encounter with the risen Christ, however, on the road to Damascus, Saul became Paul and was the greatest evangelist in the history of the Christian faith. He is the author of 2/3 of the New Testament. His deepest theological musings are the foundation upon which many of us build our own faith 2000 years later. Paul was an entirely different person after he was Eastered.

People don’t change like that unless something dramatic has happened to them.  They don’t change like that because they hear a story that a man was raised from the grave.  They don’t change like that because they hear one wild story. It is not that easy for people to change like that. Unless they have been Eastered.

“What does it mean to be Eastered?”

·        It means to experience the Risen Lord.

·        It means to have your eyes opened as Mary’s were.

·        It means to be empowered, emboldened, transformed as Peter was.

·        It means to be on fire with the Gospel, as Paul was.

Paul writes about what it means to be Eastered in Romans when he writes about “walking in newness of life,” “being united with him in a resurrection like his,” and “living with Christ.” But Paul also opens the door to show us the process of being Eastered.

He says “ Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

He writes, “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

Paul is reminding us that the story doesn’t jump from Palm Sunday to Easter. Jesus didn’t go from riding on the donkey and hearing the crowds shout Hosanna to the resurrection on the First day of the week without going through the dark valley of crucifixion and death.

There is no resurrection without a crucifixion.

There is no Easter without Good Friday.

Celebrating Easter might be decorating eggs, coming to church, and going home. But being Eastered starts in the deepest darkest places of our existence. Being Eastered starts with Jesus meeting us in the hardest, saddest, darkest, places of our existence.

·        Earlier this week, an old couple received a phone call from their son who lives far away. The son said he was sorry, but he wouldn’t be able to come for a visit over the holidays after all. "The grandkids say hello." They assured him that they understood, but when they hung up the phone, they didn’t dare look at each other.

·        Earlier this week, a woman was called into her supervisor’s office to hear that times are hard for the company and they had to let her go. "So sorry.." She cleaned out her desk, packed away her hopes for getting ahead, and wondered what she would tell her kids.

·        Earlier this week, someone received terrible news from a physician. And they are sitting here wondering what it means to live with cancer.

·        Earlier this week someone else heard the words, "I don't love you anymore." And their lives seemed to fall apart.

·        Maybe you come today with your heart broken over the death of a loved one.

·        Maybe you come fighting an addiction.

·        Maybe you come worried about all the details of life like food and medicine.

·        Maybe you come hoping that someone will acknowledge you, someone will love you.

·        Maybe you come fighting the memories of past abuse.

·        Maybe it is all you can do to get out of bed in the morning and face another day with your mental illness.

Where are the darkest places of your life? Everyone has a dark place.

Where are the darkest places of your life.

·        If you want to be Eastered that is where you start.

·        If you want to be Eastered you don’t start with lilies and the proclamation that he is risen.

·        If you want to be Eastered you start in the darkest, scariest, hardest, loneliest, most desperate places of life.

No one is ever ready to encounter Easter until he or she has spent time in the dark place where hope cannot be seen. Easter is the last thing we are expecting in those places, but that is exactly where the risen Christ meets us. In those darkest, scariest, hardest, loneliest most desperate places is exactly where Jesus is waiting for us holding out his hand saying , come be Eastered with me.

Don’t’ think Jesus hasn’t been there before.

·        He is the one who cried from the cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”

·        Jesus knew what it meant to walk in life’s darkest places.

·        Jesus knew very well what it meant to walk in the scariest places of human existence.

·        Jesus knew exactly what it feels like in the hardest, most lonely, most desperate places of life.

Because he has been there. That is exactly why when he extends his hand you can trust him. That is why when he says, “come be Eastered with me.” you can trust him.

 That is why when Jesus says

·        I can roll the stone of your pain away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your despair away, You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your darkness away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your hopelessness away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your loneliness away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your depression away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your rejection away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your grief away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your addiction away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your worry away. You can believe him.

·        I can roll the stone of your memories away. You can believe him.

That is why when he says I will go before you, you can trust him. Trust him and you will be Eastered.

No matter what darkness entombs your heart this morning, no matter what now constricts your life or being let Jesus ROLL THAT ROCK AWAY! Just roll it away! Trust that Easter is true. Trust that life (in spite of the many dangers and sorrows which always accompany it) remains a promise and a possibility. You are free this day – every day – in Jesus Christ You have been Eastered! Do you feel it? Reach out, take Jesus’ hand, and let him Easter you right out of the dark hopelessness of the tomb in which you have been living. Let Jesus Easter you today.

Now, when you have been Eastered, go to Easter someone else.

Go to your neighbors and your friends who live in darkness.

·        The darkness of addiction,

·         the darkness of anger,

·        the darkness of not being loved,

·        the darkness of mistrust,

·        the darkness of seeing no future,

 they all have their darkness just like we all have ours. Go to them and (No, you can’t roll their stone away,) but you can point them to the one who can! You can point them to Jesus who is Easter embodied. You can bring to them the possibility of being Eastered.

A first year student in seminary was told by the dean that he should plan to preach the sermon in chapel the following day. He had never preached a sermon before, he was nervous and afraid, and he stayed up all night, but in the morning, he didn’t have a sermon. He stood in the pulpit, looked out at his classmates and said “Do you know what I am going to say?” All of them shook their heads “no” and he said “Neither do I. The service has ended. Go in peace.”

The dean was not happy. “I’ll give you another chance tomorrow, and you had better have a sermon.” Again he stayed up all night; and again he couldn’t come up with a sermon. Next morning, he stood in the pulpit and asked “Do you know what I am going to say?” The students all nodded their heads “yes.” “Then there is no reason to tell you” he said. “The service has ended. Go in peace.”

Now the dean was angry. “I’ll give you one more chance; if you don’t have a sermon tomorrow, you will be asked to leave the seminary.” Again, no sermon came. He stood in the pulpit the next day and asked “Do you know what I am going to say?” Half of the students nodded “yes” and the other half shook their heads “no.” The student preacher then announced “Those who know, tell those who don’t know. The service has ended. Go in peace.”

The seminary dean walked over to the student, put his arm over the student’s shoulders, and said “Those who know, tell those who don’t know. Today, the gospel has been proclaimed.”

Those who have been Eastered go to tell those who have not been Eastered, and the power of Easter will bloom in our hearts, in our homes, in our community and our world.

I tell you, that you have been Eastered. Go now and Easter someone.

Live with purpose April 13, 2014 Chapter 20

Live with purpose

April 13, 2014

Chapter 20

Did you enjoy the story of Esther? Just purely from the perspective of a reader, Esther is a great story. It includes elements of palace intrigue, the Cinderella-like choosing of Esther as queen, the irony of Haman being shish kabobed on his own skewer, Esther’s bravery and her dangerous plot, the reversal of expectations, and the joyous celebration at the end.

If you did not read it this week, you missed a great story.

It’s one of those stories where random things seem to happen. Like the roll of a dice. In fact the Hebrew word “Purim,” which is the name of the festival that commemorates Esther’s story, means “dice.” It is “the festival of the dice.” In fact, several things in this story seem to be mere rolls of the dice.

·        Haman, descended from the Amalekites, happens to live in Susa and be the king’s right hand man

·        Haman literally rolls the dice to choose the date of the Jews’ extermination.

·        Esther is chosen to try out for queen, and happens to makes it

·        Esther happens to be Jewish, and happens to be related to Mordecai, Haman’s arch enemy.

·        The night Haman builds a pole upon which to impale Mordecai just so happens to be the night the king cannot sleep.

·        Haman recommends a lavish plan to honor someone, thinking the someone is himself, when it so happens that it is actually for Mordecai. Haman has to carry it out anyway.

·        Right at the moment Haman stumbles into Queen Esther as he is pleading for his life, the king happens to walk in and it appears as if he is making an advance on his wife.

·        Haman just so happens to be ironically impaled on the pole he intended for Mordecai.

There are many things in life that seem random. To tell you the truth many are. Tornadoes and hurricanes are random disasters; accidents are just that- random mishaps; getting a good parking place or getting in the slow line at the grocery story are lower story random events that have little or nothing to do with God’s upper story.

However, if we have learned nothing else in the last 20 weeks we have learned that God does has an upper story and that upper story is never random. We and all of history are slowly and inescapably moving toward that upper story goal of people living in love with God and each other.

·        Was it just a roll of the dice that placed Haman and Moredeci in the same city in Persia? I don’t know.

·        Was it just a roll of the dice that Esther is chosen to be the new queen. I don’t know.

·        Was it just a roll of the dice that Moredcai was elevated to such an important advisory position in the palace? I don’t know.

What I do know is that God’s purposes are never random. God’s upper story is never random. God’s plan is true and consistent.

So what does it mean to live with purpose?

Queen Esther came face to face with that question. Haman had convinced King Xerxes to let him issue an irrevocable edict that all the Jews were to be killed on a certain day. It is doubtful if the king knew that it was the Hebrews who were going to be killed, and he certainly did not know that his beloved Esther was a Hebrew. Esther couldn’t bear to see her people annihilated, and neither could God. This, however, seemed like the end of the road for the Hebrew people in Persia.

That is when Moredieci steps forward and says, “Esther, did you ever consider that just maybe you have come to your royal dignity for just a time as this?” Apparently, she had not. But she found herself in the right position at the right time to be able to do something. Perhaps there was no one else in al the world who had both the opportunity and the influence to change this terrible plan, except Esther. Perhaps there was no one else in a position to go before the king (it was dangerous even for her) Perhaps there was no one else in the world who could get Xerxes’ attention and influence him to change this terrible plot.

So Esther tried. Esther risked her life by appearing before the king uninvited; smoothed the way for the conversation with a couple of lavish banquets; and then she dropped the bombshell that she and her people were about to be killed.

The king was livid, and turned the tables saving the Hebrews and killing Haman.

How much of this was God directing? I don’t know. Maybe more than we think, maybe less. The point is that Esther kept her eyes on the big picture of God’s story of redeeming Israel. and was willing to step in- even at considerable personal risk- to be part of that plan.

How much of our lives are the result of God’s divine direction and how much is random stuff (both good and bad) that happens to us? I don’t know where to draw that line. I will tell you that I don’t believe that natural disasters are a result of God’s activity. I don’t think God gives cancer. I don’t think the death of a child is God’s plan- God doesn’t need any more little angels in heaven.

So what is God’s plan… I have probably said it 20 times in 20 weeks of the story… God’s upper story plan is for people to live in love with him and lovingly toward each other. Our purpose as God’s people is to be part of that plan. Our purpose is to live in such a way that others will come to see God’s love and want to be part of it. Our purpose is to live in a community of love, loving each other and loving others the best we can.

Think about it- God’s upper story plan is for your neighbor to know him and love him. You might be the only one in a position to reveal God’s love to him and to invite him into a loving relationship with God. Live with purpose and make that your mission.

Think about it- God’s upper story plan is that people would love one another. That sour looking stranger who is struggling with their groceries is one of God’s children. You might be the only person in a position at that moment to hold the door or push the cart or show just a glimmer of love to that person who might desperately need to be loved that day. Live with purpose and make that your mission.

Think about it- people in Africa need cataract surgeries. Kim has made her time available, and many of you saw that as a way to show love to someone far away and you funded 11 ½ eye surgeries for people in Nigeria. That was living into God’s purpose for us.

Think about it- there are children in our community who have never had the opportunity to be in Christian education or worship. Don’t you think as we provide the financial and human resources for them to come here on Wednesday and meet God, that we are living into God’s purpose for us and our community? I do.

Think about it- it can be very simple. That kid in school that seems different from everyone else. He or she doesn’t seem to have many friends and they just stick out like a sore thumb. Live into God’s purpose that they would be loved by dancing with them, or eating lunch with them, or sitting next to them on the bus.

Think about it- it can be much harder. Living into God’s purpose might be standing up for what you think is right and even being arrested for it, like our bishop was recently.

Think about it- there are Christians who, although it is illegal in their country, insist on worshiping and evangelizing their neighbors- at great personal risk because they want to be part of God’s greater purpose. How much risk are we willing to take?

To live with purpose is to look for those places where our lives intersect with the lives of others near and far, and being willing (at great cost or no personal cost) to make loving and sharing God’s love with them the number one thing in our lives.

You want to make the world a better place? Do you want to change the world? That’s how you do it. Live with purpose… but not just any purpose… God’s purpose.

Which brings us around to Palm Sunday.

Jesus knew that entering Jerusalem on a donkey would get the leader’s attention because of Zechariah’s prophecy that the messiah would do that.

Jesus knew that the crowds shouting hosanna, “save us” would get the attention of the establishment because they were always looking for rabble rousers and especially hoping for Jesus to get tripped up.

Jesus knew that even coming to Jerusalem was a great personal risk.

So why did he do it? Why didn’t he run the other direction as fast as he could? Why didn’t he hide out at Mary and Martha’s house where he was relatively safe?

Because he lived with purpose. He knew that God’s upper story purpose was for people to love God and live in love with each other. And he knew that he was born to be part of that purpose. Jesus knew that he was in a unique position to bridge the gap between God and God’s people. Jesus knew that he was in a unique position to (at great personal risk) bring salvation to the world.

So ride in to Jerusalem he did.

Let’s see what happened after that.

First things first 4/6/14 RUMC Story chapter 19

First things first

4/6/14

RUMC

Story chapter 19

Most of the snowbirds, who have been gone 2-3 months, say it is good to be back home. It’s good to leave, but it is good to come home. Most of us feel the same way after a week or two of vacation. It is good to leave, but it is good to be back home.

Can you imagine how good it would be to be home after being involuntarily away for 70 years?  70 years of winters, springs, summers an falls in Babylon against your will. 70 years of living as a prisoner of war. 70 years in a different culture, with different food, a different language, and different customs.

That was the situation for the Jewish population when Cyrus finally decreed that they could return home to rebuild the temple.  They had longed for this day and they were certainly excited to get back to their country, their homes, their food and their customs.  They were anxious to get back to their temple too. 50,000 of them packed up and became the first wave of Israelites to return home. 50,000 made that long trek back to Judah, but they were not prepared for what they saw.

As they crested the last hill, reality must have set in. Things were not as they remembered them. Sure, they knew the Babylonians had plundered the city, but to crest that last hill and see the utter destruction of their homeland must have been a terrible shock. Houses destroyed, walls torn down and worst of all the temple lying in ruins.

Zerubabbel organized them into crews and shifts and they immediately went to work on the temple. They rebuilt the altar and worshipped God.  They rebuilt the foundation. They rebuilt the walls, but the work was hard, and the days were long.

It didn’t take long and the newness wore off.  The Excitement faded and the commitment began to falter.

Then the neighbors began making trouble. They made the work even harder. They discouraged and  threatened the Jews and after 6 years they gave up the grand rebuilding project.

They went back to their homes and farms.  They abandoned the work on the temple   in favor of working on their own houses, farms and businesses. And the temple sat uncompleted, without a roof for 16 years.  For 16 years day after day they people walked round the unfinished temple grounds to get to their farms and day after day they walked around it to get back home. They built their businesses in the shadow of the incomplete project and tried not to think about it. The grass grew between the stones in the pavement, the moss grew on the partially built walls.  You might even imagine that graffiti started to appear on the walls surrounding it. You know things like class of 525 and Joshua loves Sarah. It was a disgrace, but there were plenty of other things to do.  Especially since the crops hadn’t been very good and business had not boomed as they hoped. People were hungry and tired and discontent.

That’s when Haggai stood up. Haggai was an old man who had seen the destruction of Solomon’s temple. (2:3)  He remembered the glory of the temple  before it had been destroyed.  Haggai stood up and started to prophecy… to speak in the name of the LORD.   He said, “you keep saying we’ll get around to finishing the temple but you never do it”.  He said, “Look, you have roofs on your houses and businesses, but God’s house has no roof.”  He said, “You wonder why life is hard? It is because you got off track.”

They were like a train trying to chug across the meadow with no tracks.  They were hopelessly bogged down and at a standstill.

In the short four months of his ministry recorded in the two chapters of his book Haggai, stirred up Zerubabbel, lit a fire under Joshua, and motivated the people to refocus on the really important things. Once they got back to work, the temple was rebuilt and rededicated in only 3 years

The train was back on the tracks.  Once again God had a symbol of his presence among the people and the people had a place to worship God.  In fact this temple stood until 40 years after Jesus death and resurrection.

In the lower story the people got off track and got their priorities all messed up.  In the upper story they had been punished for their unfaithfulness. They had been exiled for their idolatry, and left there for 70 years because of their stubbornness. All along, however, through Daniel and Shadrack and Meshack and Abednigo and Jeremiah and Isaiah God kept saying “I am with you.”

In the upper story God even used a foreign king named Cyrus who worshipped Persian idols to make it possible for the people to come home.   Even Cyrus was in line with God’s upper story. But the people? No, they were more interested in themselves, their little lives, and their little problems than glorifying the God of heaven.  It took prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to call them back yet again to their spiritual home with God. To set first things first and to get back to lives focused on the worship of God.

But before we judge them to harshly let’s look in the mirror.

In the message Bible Hagggai says

Take a good, hard look at your life.
 Think it over.
You have spent a lot of money,
    but you haven’t much to show for it.
You keep filling your plates,
    but you never get filled up.
You keep drinking and drinking and drinking,
    but you’re always thirsty.
You put on layer after layer of clothes,
    but you can’t get warm.
And the people who work for you,
    what are they getting out of it?
Not much—
    a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that’s what.

That sounds a little bit like us doesn’t it?

How about this…I think today’s  church needs some judgment.

·        God says, The church spends all its energy fighting about homosexuality instead of working for my mission. 

·        You spend so much of your resources trying to keep the institution going that you don’t have enough left for ministry.

·        The church spends so much money maintaining beautiful buildings but the people in the neighborhood go hungry.

·        The church leaders spend so much time trying to find the next neat little fad that they forget to preach the gospel.

·        The people spend so much time fighting among themselves and stabbing each other in the back in Sunday School that they never get around to inviting anyone to join and who would want to join that anyway.

·        You spend so much energy talking about people who are missing, that you never get around to talking to talking to them and bringing them back.

·        You spend so much time trying to keep what you have that you never get around to spending yourself for the kingdom.

·        You worry so much about protecting your precious habits and hobbies and you never get around to being a servant for Jesus.

·        You worry so much about what you are having for desert that the whole church is dying of malnutrition.

One of the reasons we are sinking up to our navels  is because we have taken our eyes off of Jesus.

Let me close with a parable.

On a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little lifesaving station grew.

Some members of the lifesaving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now the lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully and furnished it exquisitely, because they used it as sort of a club. 

Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The lifesaving motif still prevailed in this club’s decorations, and there was a miniature lifeboat in the room where the club initiations were held. 

About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick, and some of them had black skin and some had yellow skin. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities, since they were unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a lifesaving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast. They did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today you will find a number of exclusive clubs along the shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

A fast sermon THE STORY Chapter 18 3/23/14

A fast sermon

THE STORY Chapter 18

3/23/14

SLIDE #1

I KIND OF TRICKED YOU THIS WEEK… I PROMISED A FAST SERMON, I DID NOT PROMISE A “QUICK” SERMON. Actually, today we are talking about fasting.

SLIDE #2

In Chapter 18 of THE STORY, we will start reading about Daniel and one of the first things we read is about Daniel fasting from all the wonderful royal foods.

Let’s back up just a little. Daniel and his friends were among the Jewish exiles to Babylon. They were young, strong perfect specimens of humanity so the king chose them to be among the young men he was training up as government leaders. This was a mixed bag to say the least.

Since Daniel, Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah were prisoners, being part of the royal court was a great opportunity to improve their lives. Being Jewish in the royal household, however, presented some challenges. They were accustomed to Jewish clothes, a Jewish diet and Jewish worship. Back in Judah, virtually everyone was Jewish so it was easy. Now 500 miles away from home in Babylon, and especially in the royal court, they were in the minority. It was much harder to be Jewish in Babylon than in Judah.

Daniel was apparently willing to wear the clothes of Babylon. He was willing to learn the language and customs of Babylon. But he drew the line at the food. King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, no doubt, had the finest meats, and wines, and sweets available to Daniel and his friends. I suspect Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were looking forward to good steak and some fine wine. The king, however, had no reason, however, to follow Jewish dietary law, and Daniel had no intention of breaking Jewish dietary laws. You know there are a bunch of them. Daniel, therefore, asks for a simple diet of vegetables and water. After some negotiating, Daniel arranges for this simple diet for 10 days to prove that it isn’t going to make him sick. At the end of 10 days, Daniel and his friends looked better than the other young men in the king’s court did.

I think the important thing here is not what he ate or didn’t eat. The important thing is not the length of time. The important thing is not whether God wants us to be vegetarians. (Frankly, I hope not) The important part of this story is that Daniel did it for God. Daniel fasted from the king’s foods because he didn’t want them to come between him and his God. Daniel fasted from the king’s food because he wanted to be closer to God.

Honestly, that is the only valid reason for a religious fast: To be closer to God.

SLIDE #3

How does that work? Think about it. Our lives revolve around food. We break the day into morning, afternoon and evening, separated by what? Meals. When we are bored or nervous, what do we think?... I wonder what I have to eat around here? When we celebrate, we eat. When we grieve, we eat. When something good happens, we eat. When we get depressed, we eat. What else has such a hold on us, rightly or wrongly,… what else has such a hold on our lives besides food? Nothing.

Isn’t that what the snickers commercial says?

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SLIDE #1

Richard Foster says that our stomach is like a spoiled child, and spoiled children do not need indulgence, they need discipline. Even snickers commercials speak to the control that our stomachs have over our lives. We are not to be controlled by our stomachs, but controlled by the Spirit of God. Fasting is spiritual training in self-control.

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+++Fasting, then, is a way of saying, “God, I want you even more than food. God I love you more than food. I want to depend on you even more than food. I want to turn to you even before I turn to food.”

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+++Secondly, fasting defies our dependence on food. It disrupts the cycle of meals and opens up room for something else. It breaks through the routine of our lives and tills up fresh new soil in which we can grow closer to God and God can grow closer to us. Fasting breaks down the barriers created by our comfortable habits and provides, for God, a new route to our hearts. What if every time your stomach growled it was a call to prayer?

Richard Foster Writes, More than any other single Discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. … Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear—if they are within us, they will surface during fasting. At first, we will rationalize that our anger is due to our hunger then we know that we are angry because the spirit of anger is within us. We can rejoice in this knowledge because we know that healing is available through the power of Christ.

What are we slaves to? What are our bottom line passions? Fasting is a way of saying, “I want you more than anything God.” “I want you even more than food.” Fasting is a way of revealing to ourselves and confessing to God what is in our hearts. And the aim of fasting is that we come to rely less on food and more on God himself. [i]

SLIDE #4

+++Third, fasting opens up time. If you add up all the time it takes to grocery shop, prepare, eat, and clean up from meals you might have as much as 30 hours a week. What could you do with an extra 30 hours in a week? What if you dedicated them to prayer and reading scripture and doing the things that bring you closer to God? Where would you be in your spirituality if you increased your face time with God that much? Now I am not suggesting that we change our lifestyle here and stop eating. That would be a really bad idea. What I am saying is that occasionally it wouldn’t hurt us, and might actually help if, by fasting, we opened up some time and dedicated it to God.

SLIDE #5

Let me stop to define fasting. Fasting means to voluntarily lay aside any pleasurable and/or vital activity for a period of time in order to intensely pursue God.

Let’s take that apart…

It is voluntary… I am not going to tell you that you have to fast. I will tell you that you might grow closer to God if you do. However, just like your relationship with God, it is entirely voluntary.

It is a laying aside any pleasurable and/or vital activity …fasting is giving up something that is important to you. Customarily we fast from food, but technically one can lay aside anything that is important from TV to hobbies to social interaction to alcohol to sex.

For a period of time… we aren’t talking about a lifestyle change here. Fasting is for a finite period of time to allow you to intensely pursue God.

Jesus fasted for forty days. Moses, on two separate occasions, fasted for forty days. Joshua fasted for forty days. Paul fasted for three days and then God healed his eyes. Peter fasted for three days. Daniel fasted for 10 days. The Bible teaches about half-day fasts and twenty-four-hour fasts. The entire nation of Israel fasted for three days. A fast is for a period of time.

SLIDE #6

There are a lot of misconceptions about fasting. So, Let me tell you what fasting is not.

·        I already said it is not mandatory.

·        But fasting is also not an oddity. Jesus says, when you fast… notice not if you fast, but Jesus took it for granted that we would fast. Remember all the people I mentioned earlier including New Testament people who fasted? Fasting is definitely Christian.

·        Fasting is also not for show. Jesus says, “When you fast do not do it to look dismal like the hypocrites.” What he is talking about is that the hypocrites would stop their personal hygiene practices in order to look pathetic. Then they would put ash on their faces in order to garner the attention of others saying, in essence, “Look at how holy I am.” Jesus says do not fast for show. Do it in private. Because it is between you and God. 

·        So if you are discovered does that ruin the fast? Of course not. There is a big difference between fasting in order to be seen and being seen fasting. It would be a really good idea, for instance, to tell whoever cooks at your house that you are fasting so you don’t create more problems at home than you have to. So first Fasting is not a show.

·        Also, fasting is not magic. It is not a spiritual hunger strike that compels God to do whatever we want. It is not like blowing out the birthday candles to get our wish. Fasting is not a prayer trick, but a prayer enhancer. Fasting can deepen and intensify our prayer time with God. It can focus and clarify your prayers as you enter into God’s presence, but fasting does not make magic.

·        Finally, fasting is not an end in itself but rather a means to a greater end; that of making room for and drawing close to God. Just fasting is fine, but it is not a spiritual discipline if it is not combined with prayer. To stop eating might have some health benefits, but it has no spiritual benefit if we don’t use the time and energy to connect to God.

If that is what fasting is not, then what is fasting?

First, how? That’s rather self evident. Stop eating. Except there is more to it than that.

There are two broad kinds of fasts

·                    Complete fasts where no solid food is consumed, only water or sometimes juices.

·                    Then there are partial fasts like Daniel’s fast in the book of Daniel. One might fast from meats, or sweets, or soda, or some other food. Or it might be for one meal a day. That is a kind of partial fast as well.

The important thing in deciding how to fast is to be smart about it. Most people can do a 24 hour fast with no problem. There are people, however, who have medical conditions (diabetes comes to mind) or take medicines that would make fasting unwise or even dangerous. Being prone to migraines for instance limits how long I can fast, so I will make sure that I eat at least one meal each day. Bottom line, if in doubt, check with your doctor.

Second how long? Again, that might be controlled by medical concerns, but what we are calling for is a 24 hours of fasting and prayer in whatever way you can do that. From 7am April 19^th to 7am April 20^th (Easter morning) You might want to institute weekly fasting for the rest of lent, or make it part of your regular spiritual life, but April 19-20 is our target for communal fasting and prayer.

Third, Why? I’ve already said an individual fast has one purpose, which is to get closer to God. A communal fast, however often has a focus. Our focus is revival. Praying for God to work powerfully in our church and community. For God to work powerfully in our lives and the lives of neighbors and friends, and for us to reach more people this Easter than last.

SLIDE 7

Over the next 3 weeks, we are asking everyone to pray for revival and specifically for 2-3 friends whom you will invite to worship on Easter Sunday

Also over the next three weeks, you will sign up for the prayer vigil on Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend.

SLIDE #8

Then, when they prayer vigil comes, we are asking you to fast and take your prayers to the streets. If you can, we are asking you to walk or drive down your street, around your block or all over town praying for revival- for God to work powerfully in the lives of each family as you pass their home. Make sure that you include the people you are inviting to worship. If you can’t get out walking or driving, do it in your imagination. Imagine their house or their faces, praying that God will work powerfully in the lives of each person. Of course, the church will be available for you to pray, but this year I want to encourage you to take your prayers to the streets.
The goal then, is that every family in town would receive prayers for revival during this 24-hour prayer vigil, asking God to work powerfully in their lives.

SLIDE #9

Then Easter Sunday morning, we will be praying for to reach more than 173 people with the Easter gospel. Is that clear? That’s the plan, and that’s why I am preaching on prayer and fasting today.

John Piper writes in his book, A Hunger for God,
If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great. God did not create you for this. There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. I invite you to turn from the dulling effects of food and the dangers of idolatry, and to say with some simple fast ‘I want you, O God’” (Pg 23)[ii]

Let’s take the rest of this lent to drink deeply.

To pray deeply

To study deeply

And to fast deeply.

To drink deeply from the well of God’s grace and God’s power. To be nourished and filled and draw close to God. AMEN

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[i] Foster, Celebration Of Discipline

[ii] Piper, A Hunger for God