To fast or to feast?

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:1-3

Just recently a Christian friend asked me, right out of nowhere, what I thought about fasting. Which was interesting, for various reasons…

For one thing, I had been thinking about fasting myself. Then, I heard a sermon on Acts 13; the preacher briefly focussed on verses 2-3, where the writer mentions twice (!) the fasting of the leaders of the Antioch church. And then, third, I was in a small-group Bible study where the same topic came up for a bit of discussion.

A coincidence? (Or, as some Christians like to call it, albeit with a rather ugly word, a “Godincidence”?) Whatever, I thought it couldn’t do any harm to devote a blog to it.

What are we as Christians to think about fasting? Here are a few reflections, not in any particular order.

First, it figures a lot in the Bible, but far more in the Old Testament than the New. The people of Israel fasted regularly as a nation; but we read also about fasting as individuals, perhaps as a sign of mourning or sadness, or of sorrow for sin. It was a normal aspect of a religious life. This might be the setting where it is of most value to us.

Second, Jesus never told his followers to fast; he simply took it for granted that, being Jews, they would: “When you fast…” he tells them in Matthew 6:16-18. Certainly, he taught them how to fast – they must avoid any suggestion of self-display. But it clearly wasn’t a topic that was, so to speak, high on his agenda. Indeed, it seems he caused puzzlement and even offence to the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees because of his failure to require it (Matthew 9:14). Did they think he wasn’t “religious” enough?

Third, he did, of course, fast himself; indeed, before the start of his ministry he went without food for forty days and nights (Matthew 4:1-11), which suggests that in spite of what I have just said, fasting isn’t something we should lightly dismiss or treat as completely unimportant.

Fourth, there are no hard-and-fast rules about fasting: a whole day? or more? or just one meal? or just one particular item of food? In general throughout the Bible it seems to mean simply a willing act of self-denial in going without food (though in 1 Corinthians 7:5 Paul suggests to married couples what we might call a period of sexual fasting).You could say that for Christians the only “rule” about fasting is that in fact there are no rules.

Fifth, whatever significance we might see in fasting, it seems always to be linked with prayer. Certainly it was that time in Antioch. We might need a period of focussed and intense prayer if we are particularly concerned about something, or if we have slipped into sin, or if we have allowed ourselves to become spiritually sluggish or lazy, or if we have a big decision to make. Fasting is a way of concentrating, of seeking to shut out for a time other intruding thoughts.

Sixth, we need to keep clear in our minds that fasting must not be an attempt, even a subconscious one, to offer God a bribe. We can’t force his hand: “Lord, you will grant me what I need, won’t you, if I devote to you this time of self-denial…” That seems to be the error the people of Israel were guilty of according to Isaiah 58. They actually seem quite affronted with God for not keeping his side of the bargain: “Why have we fasted… and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you have not noticed?” (verse 3).

No! That would make our relation with God a transactional thing, rather than a relationship thing. Isaiah 58:6-9 leaves us in no doubt that while fasting has its place there are other things far higher on God’s list of priorities. The prophet’s words are  later echoed by Jesus in the story of the sheep and goats: the most valuable “fasting” means feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the  sick and imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-46). Let’s never forget that!

Fasting may be a way of humbly demonstrating to God that we really are serious about following Jesus. Of course, he already knows that anyway, doesn’t he? But then it’s like that with all prayer. Can we ever offer to God a prayer he doesn’t already know about?

So… whether we feel it right to fast as individuals, privately and discreetly, or whether we are involved with a local church, like the elders of Antioch in Acts 13 having to make a big decision, let’s do it as part of our love for Jesus, with a true desire to know him better and to love him more. What comes of it? – well, that is for God alone to decide.

And let’s remember, when we look at its overall message we see that the Bible is far more a feasting book than a fasting book! God calls us to enjoy all that we have received in Christ! Let’s do it!

Father, when I particularly feel my weakness and failures, may I find comfort in the hymn-writer’s prayer: “Lord, it is my chief complaint/ That my love is weak and faint;/ Yet I love thee, and adore; O for grace to love thee more!” Amen.

William Cowper (1731-1800)

Time to pester the pastor?

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:22-24

My wife and I were reading the other day from Lamentations 3. (Has it ever struck you, by the way, that the Bible, an essentially good news book, contains a whole book entitled “Lamentations”, which sounds more like bad news? I think that simple fact tells us something very important…)

Lamentations 3 includes the beautiful words above. As we read them together they called to mind an equally beautiful hymn, which we had both sung many years ago as young Christians. I think it is worth setting out in full, and I invite you to take a few minutes to read and absorb it. The language, of course, is old-fashioned – but, after all, the writer was an Anglican clergyman called John Keble, from the Victorian period, so that must be expected, and is surely well worth grappling with…

1 New every morning is the love
our wakening and uprising prove;
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.

2 New mercies, each returning day,
hover around us while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.

3 If on our daily course our mind
be set to hallow all we find,
new treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.

4 The trivial round, the common task,
will furnish all we need to ask,
room to deny ourselves, a road
to bring us daily nearer God.

5 Only, O Lord, in thy dear love
fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day,
to live more nearly as we pray.

It must be twenty years or more since I last sung that hymn, and being reminded of it was a sheer delight. (It really saddens me that such treasures from bygone centuries are largely lost to the church today: a whole generation of modern Christians know next to nothing of two thousand years of rich hymnody. How, I wonder, can we be so arrogant as to let that happen? (And no, I’m not just an old man being nostalgic!).

Why do I find it so precious?

First, it’s simple and almost child-like, but certainly not childish.

Just five short verses (six in some versions). Each of them opens up a solid new thought (no endless repetition!), offering us a fresh idea to ponder, something to nourish and stimulate our faith.

Second, it’s scripture-based.

It is, in effect, a mini-sermon in song, opening up different aspects of what it means to be a Christian, and to live out in practice this wonderful Christian life.

Third, it’s God-centred, not me-centred.

Have you noticed how many songs and hymns (old as well as new, to be fair) tend to be about how I feel, rather than about what God is like? Certainly, there is a place for I/me songs, but if we over-do them we are in danger of becoming narcissistic – it’s all about me, and God is just a means to an end. And that’s very unhealthy spiritually.

Fourth, it’s realistic, not sentimental.

Verse 2 reminds us that every day we are in need of “new mercies” (there is never a moment when we are not dependent on him), that there will be “new perils” (the devil is always active!), and, yes, “new sins” needing to be forgiven (we’re still far from perfect).

Verse 4 reminds us that the Christian life often consists basically of “the trivial round, the common task” (doing the washing, perhaps, or picking up the children from school, or turning up to a boring job) - but how each such chore presents us with “a road/ To bring us daily nearer God”.

Being a Christian isn’t hallelujahs all the way! Every day we are called to find “room to deny ourselves” (self-denial, I suspect, probably isn’t the strongest suit of most of us!).

Fifth, it’s positive, encouraging and challenging.

Verse 3 reminds us that every day it’s our business – our responsibility – to “set our mind to hallow all we find”; in other words, to seek the holy presence of God in even those most routine tasks of life.

Personally, I specially appreciate the way, after four verses of meditation and reflection, the final verse becomes a prayer. I’ll spell it out at the end of this blog, but just point out here that it reminds us that when all these daily blessings and struggles are finally over we are destined for “perfect  rest above”. We all have homes here on this earth (I hope so, anyway: may God give us compassionate hearts for the truly homeless) but they are nothing compared with what awaits us!

In a nutshell… every day of our lives is an opportunity to know God better, to learn something new about him, and to trust him, however hard the way may be. It’s the same theme as the more modern song “One day at a time, sweet Jesus”, but fleshed out, I think, with deeper reflection.

May it do us all good today!

Only, O Lord, in thy dear love
fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day,
to live more nearly as we pray. Amen

John Keble, 1792-1866

Keble also wrote another famous hymn, “Blest are the pure in heart”, likewise a wonderful model of simple but deep reflection leading to a beautiful prayer. Why not dust off that old hymn book and let it refresh you, and perhaps even pester your pastor to include it one Sunday morning?

Right? Wrong? or neither?

“I have the right to do anything,” you say - but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything” - but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others… So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God… 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 31-32

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the person who doesn’t condemn himself by what he approves. Romans 14:23

Imagine, please, that you receive a wedding invitation from a long-standing friend called Dave. He is someone you have known and respected over many years. So naturally you are pleased to be invited; who wouldn’t want to be there on a friend’s very special day?

But as you read the invitation, you spot a problem: the person Dave is looking forward to marrying is called Mike. Ah!

Dave has always been open about being gay, and you have always been frank about your disagreement with this life-style. But he has never claimed to be a Christian, and you have therefore agreed to disagree, and have remained friends. You are aware of being honoured by the invitation, but your understanding of the Bible’s teaching – something he knows and respects - puts you in an awkward position. Very simply: should you accept the invitation?

If you decline, however graciously, you might seem to be snubbing a true friend; but you don’t feel comfortable about accepting and thereby seeming to condone something you sincerely feel is wrong.

So… what do you do?

I know some Christian friends who found themselves in pretty much this situation, facing pretty much this dilemma. I won’t tell you what they did – just that they found themselves in a quite agonising quandary, in spite of serious prayer. All I will say is that, whatever decision they made, I would have respected them.

There are times in life when we have to choose, not between right and wrong, but between two equally possible options: “grey areas”, they are sometimes called. As Christians we are called to be people of strong convictions, of course: there can be no budging on faith in Almighty God, or on the cardinal truths of the Gospel - Jesus crucified, risen again, and one day returning.

But there are situations, often very practical situations, when it simply isn’t quite so clear-cut; and in Paul’s first letter to the unruly and undisciplined Christians of Corinth, he tackles some of these head-on.

The Corinthian Christians take great delight in what might be called “Christian liberty” – the discovery that through simple faith in Jesus they are not bound by a big stack of petty rules and regulations, a long list of do’s and don’ts. No, loving, trusting and obeying Jesus is enough! – what a relief that offers from always feeling crushed by a failure to “measure up”!

The Corinthians even seem to have developed a little catch-phrase to sum it up: “All things are lawful”, or, as the NIV expands it a little: “I have the right to do anything”. Paul quotes it back at them, first in chapter 6 verse 12, and now again in chapter 10 verse 23.

In principle, Paul is in agreement – Yes, we are indeed set free in Christ. But in each case he adds a little slogan of his own, starting with that vital word “but”: “all things are lawful… but not everything is beneficial”. In other words, the fact that I am at liberty to do a particular thing doesn’t necessarily mean that I should do it. There are times to rein in your freedom rather than enjoy it.

Of course, the catch-phrase “All things are lawful”, even though Paul agrees with it, is not literally true anyway. Murder, for example, and adultery, are decidedly not lawful! One of the things that Paul is talking about in chapter 6 is sexual immorality – specifically, men having sex with prostitutes - and in this respect the very strictest laws apply.

But chapter 10 is very different; Paul is talking about matters of diet: should the Corinthian Christians worry that meat they buy in the open market might originally have been part of a sacrifice offered in a pagan temple? To which his answer is emphatic: No, of course not! Jesus has set us free from such quibbling questions!

The example I quoted at the beginning - should I attend the same-sex “marriage” of a friend? - is a modern-day example of this kind of dilemma. And there is no clear-cut, black-and-white answer: two equally committed Christians may arrive at different answers, and each should respect the other.

Behind the advice Paul is offering to the Corinthians is a fundamental principle: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). He has in mind that my exercise of my liberty in Christ is all very fine – but what if it has the effect of “stumbling” the faith of a less robust, perhaps less mature, Christian? Not so fine, suggests verse 32… (And anyway, we mustn’t dismiss the possibility that the Christian I disagree with could actually be right, and me wrong, can we? A little humility is no bad thing…)

We “strong”, liberated Christians can be thoughtlessly, even arrogantly, sure of ourselves, can’t we? But, as Paul asks in Romans 14:4, “Who are we to judge someone else’s servant?” Who indeed?

Oh God, you are a holy God who calls us too to be pure and holy. But in matters both great and trivial day by day we find ourselves called on to make difficult decisions. Please grant me the wisdom of your Holy Spirit, neither to compromise your holiness, nor to stumble my fellow-believers. Amen.

Words! Words! Words!

Jesus said, When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father who is unseen… and do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard for their many words… Matthew 6:6-7

The novelist E M Forster (no friend of the church) wrote of “poor little talkative Christianity”. No doubt he had a point. We Christians (not least ministers and preachers like me) can be guilty of “going on a bit”, and in Forster’s time (he lived from 1879 to 1970) that was even more the case: a sermon lasting merely an hour might well be considered short.

I think Jesus would have had some sympathy with Forster. Teaching about prayer (Matthew 6) he told his followers not to copy the “pagans” who (as the NIV puts it), “babble”. N T Wright translates verse 7: “When you pray, don’t pile up a jumbled heap of words. That’s what the Gentiles do”.

Perhaps Jesus had in mind the kind of incident we read about in 1 Kings 18, where the prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal confronted one another on Mount Carmel. Which of them could succeed in getting their God to ignite a sacrifice on the altar? The prophets of Baal “called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. ‘Baal, answer us!’ they shouted”. They “danced around the altar” and went on to “slash themselves with swords and spears”, and all to no avail. That’s easy for us to read; but when we stop and think about it, we realise that it was, well, quite some prayer meeting!

Jesus wants none of such grandstanding: “When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:6). Anything that smacks of display suggests a desire to be noticed and admired by others, and is to be avoided by Jesus’ followers.

That doesn’t mean, of course, that all our praying should be done in solitude, that there is no place at all for public prayer in a service of worship, or of corporate prayer in a small group – to think that would be to interpret Jesus’ words in an overly literal way. But it does mean that as Christians we should be concerned to maintain standards of dignity and respect; perhaps Paul captures it best in rebuking the unruly Christians of Corinth: “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14:40). (And if that sounds a bit old-fashioned, well, so be it.)

Nor does it mean that there are never times and places for lengthy prayer. Jesus himself fasted and prayed for 40 days at the start of his ministry, and on occasion went out to a lonely place, presumably because he wanted a lengthy, uninterrupted time to himself.

And for us there may be occasions when we pray (and possibly also fast; why not, if that’s how the Spirit moves us?) for extended periods. But if - like me as a young Christian many years ago - you get into the subconscious habit of feeling you must rack up so many minutes of prayer every day, and, even worse, that God might be cross if you fail to do so - if you get into that frame of mind, well, it’s a habit that seriously needs to be broken!

Do we ever pause to notice how vanishingly small (not to mention how unemotional) the Lord’s Prayer is? And that is his gift to the church! Let there be long and even agonized prayers, by all means, as long as they are sincere and from the heart; but in the routine circumstances of life there is a simple ordinariness about prayer which we should value and treasure; it can even be refreshing.

I have sometimes wondered what we would have seen if we had happened upon Jesus one day on one of his solitary prayer walks. Would he have been on his knees? Hands-together-eyes-closed? Eyes lifted to heaven? Would his voice be raised? Would he simply be sitting somewhere, to all appearances just alone with his thoughts? We don’t know, of course, because we aren’t told – which alone suggests that there are no rules.

But what we can be sure of is that when a man or woman is alone with their God, that is sacred ground indeed, and woe betide anyone who sees fit to criticize or find fault with their manner of praying.

And likewise in public worship. Should it be “liturgical”, with set prayers read from a book? Why not? Better that, truly meant, than the long, rambling, shapeless prayers to which some of us perhaps have become addicted. Should it be more “charismatic”, more “extempore” or “ad lib”? Again, why not? - as long as it is truly from the heart, and not just wearisome repetition pretending to be the leading of the Spirit.

The only “rule”, I would suggest, when it comes to any form of public prayer, is that, however brief, it should always be an event, a holy moment: a moment when the congregation is aware of being drawn into the presence of God – none of this “Let’s just have a quick prayer” stuff, please, as a kind of filler!

There is, of course, so much more one could say on the basic and mysterious topic of prayer. But, going back to E M Forster… we live in a world awash with words: books, magazines, papers, radio, television, online, social media, and so on.

Whatever else you do, Christian, don’t add unnecessarily to them!

Thank you, Father, for the brief, simple prayer Jesus gave his disciples, and for the wonderful variety in the example he set for them. Please help me, by your Holy Spirit, that my prayer-life may be a refreshment to me and a blessing to others, and never just a wearisome, dutiful burden. Amen.

Moods (2)

As the deer pants for streams of water,

    so my soul pants for you, my God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God?
³ My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”
⁴ These things I remember
    as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
    under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
    among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

 

Psalm 42:1-5

 

Last time we looked at Psalm 42, the psalm of someone who is in a very low mood, and I pointed out that such experiences are a normal part of life. Much depends on our circumstances – our health, our personal ups and downs, disappointments and encouragements, our family situation, even something as ordinary as the weather on any given day. A lot also depends on our natural temperament – some people are naturally bright and positive, others naturally tend towards gloominess. God understands this, and loves us just the same. What matters is how we handle our moods. As the saying goes, that’s life.

 

I also pointed out that the psalmist seems determined to avoid the sin of self-pity. Yes, he does feel abandoned by God, and has a faith robust enough, like Job, to take God to task for this; but he takes himself to task too: “Why, my soul, are you downcast…?” May God give us the faith always to steer well clear of “Poor me!” mode! There are times for giving ourselves a good talking to.

 

But there are other things which I didn’t have room for. Here are three, which I’ll put in the form of personal resolves…

 

First, let’s be determined to root out any possible sin.

 

I said that low moods are normal, and not necessarily a sign of sin. But that word “necessarily” is important; low moods may be a sign of sin. Every Christian is tempted by the devil, and there are times we fall to the temptation, and if/when that happens, let’s not imagine that we are going to carry on feeling bright and sunny - unless, sadly, we have developed hard hearts.

 

The word “sin” doesn’t cover just the gross failures reflected in, say, the ten commandments – no, times we give in to hidden selfishness, or pride, or lust, or greed, or spite, or anger, or jealousy are just as offensive to our holy God. And it’s a cast-iron rule of the Christian life that you can’t be both a disobedient Christian and a happy one at the same time: the two things cancel each other out. So we need to take ourselves in hand.

 

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul tells his readers to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith”. That’s not something to do in a morbid, “I’m nothing but a worm”, frame of mind, but simply seeking light from God on anything in our lives that displeases him (and being genuinely willing to change, of course, if he does just that!). It’s no accident that Christians of an earlier generation used to warn about the danger of “backsliding”: how easy it is to drift! Is it time for a session of honest self-examination?

 

Jesus tells us to “be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48); let’s take that seriously.

 

Second, let’s not be afraid to seek help.

 

I said last time that where low moods become fixed they may also become clinical, and outside help may be needed. If there is a trusted Christian therapist available, that’s good; but we should not dismiss the value of secular professional expertise, either in terms of medication or of “talking cures”.

 

But let’s not forget that we also have (I hope!) the gift of wise and loving Christian friends who we can talk to and who we can ask to pray for us. They may have been through similar mood-swings themselves, and if they have been Christians for many years they will have gathered stores of wisdom through experience and observation from which we can benefit.

 

Prayer is key. It’s easy to slip into cynicism: “What difference will that make?” This is very natural, because we rarely see quick or obvious answers to prayer; but the plain fact is that God tells us to pray, and to do so persistently. The only alternative to praying is… well, not praying - and who, reading the Bible, can contemplate such an alternative! True, there may be times we find praying for ourselves pretty well impossible; but that’s all the more reason to recruit the support of others. Isn’t that what friends are for? A problem shared is a problem halved, says worldly wisdom – and that’s even more true for the family of God.

 

This leads to…

Third, let’s learn patience.

Reading the Bible, we are often struck by the way God’s time scheme differs from ours. He is a God who is always looking to the future. We naturally want things to happen… now, and having to wait can be frustrating, and seem to make no sense. (Just browse through the psalms as a whole and notice the repeated cry, How long, O Lord, how long…?)

But, as a great old hymn says, God is working his purpose out, as year succeeds to year… It is often through the delays that we learn the most important lessons, to mature and equip us for the unknown future. God doesn’t play games with us for fun; anything he allows to happen to us is for a purpose we can trust.

I have recently been reading through the story of Joseph, Jacob’s son, in Genesis. If ever anybody might be entitled to be overwhelmed by low moods, it would surely be him. But the wonderful climax to his story is even more overwhelming, and fully bears out the words of that hymn. Joseph, having suffered terribly, and having been brought low from his youthful arrogance, is able to assure his guilty, ashamed brothers that “God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20).

So it will be for all who maintain their trust in God. The same Jesus who died in agony and ignominy rose again in glory.

And so, one day, will we.

Father, I often feel so feeble and helpless as I am tossed up and down by the unpredictability of my moods. Please help me to cling hard to you in faith and obedience, making use of the kindness of my Christian brothers and sisters, until I come to that day when I can look back and see how it all fitted together. Amen.