Fasting

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:1-12 ESV)

Are you ready for Lent?

Well wether you are ready or not it is here… And are you ready to give up something for Lent? Do we have to give something up for Lent in order for us to get the effect of what this season is about? I mean do we really need to sacrifice caffine, or soda, or pop, or hamburgers, or french fries? Do we give up all meat and only eat fish? Is growing closer to God about what we eat and consume and what we keep ourselves from? It could be… But I know some very spiritual people who eat all kinds of junk food. They are connected to God and the stuff they put into their body does nto seem to effect that. I also recall as I type this that Jesus said it is not what goes into a person that defiels them, but what come out…

Which is what we hear about today in the above verse from Isaiah. We are prescribed to fast, but it is not a fasting that gets us attention. It is one that allows the bonds of wickednessto be loosened, the straps of the yoke are undone, the oppressed go free, and every yoke is broken! The fats we are to take part in has us sharing our bread and food with the hungry, and giving the homeless a place to stay and giving the naked some of our own clothing. Yes it is a denying of self, for the betterment of the neighbor. The Fast we are called to is one of loving those around us with what we have and what Gid has given us. It is not about getting soemthing more, or drawing attention to ourselves. It is about the other!

So this Lent I invite you to not worry about what you are giving up, but focus more on the world around you and see where God is calling and leading you to go, and what He is asking you to do.

Who is God calling you to love today?

How is God calling you to use your gifts?

Where is God moving and how can you go with Him?

Alone…

Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know. They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn. But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom, as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning. But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth. How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions! Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you. Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye. For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land. They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.” You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me! Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord! Vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me. Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.” Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion; let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor. Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant.” Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long. (Psalm 35:11-28 NRSV)

Have you ever felt like the scales of justice were tipped in the other guys favor? Like you could not catch a break?

No matter how hard you tried to get ahead it seemed like everyone was against you and you were mourning for their losses and praying for their needs, but they were laughing at you, and mocking you and trying to make you fall short, so they would be elevated?

I think we all get to the point where it seems the whole world is out to get us, and everyone is against us. But God is always there, even when we can’t seem to find Him. Even when He does not seem to be around. God will never leave us nor forsake us. He will also not always free us from every bad situation we find ourselves in. He will walk with us through whatever we find ourselves going into. He might not make life easy, but He also never said He would.

Let us all be clothed in His glory. Knowing that even when it seems we are all alone and the whole world is against we are not alone.

Clean…

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: Rise, Peter; kill and eat. But Peter said, By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice came to him again a second time, What God has made clean, do not call common. This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon’s house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them. And Peter went down to the men and said, I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming? And they said, Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say. So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. (Acts 10:9-23 ESV)

What is clean and what is unclean? The Hebrew Scriptures give us a list of things that are unclean to eat and do, but does that mean anything for us today?

The Israelites thought that since they are God’s chosen people they are the true religion and the only way to be with God. They said that Gentiles (anyone other than Israelites) had to convert to being an Israelite in order to be with God. The above reading in Acts says this is not true. Gentiles are created by God and therefor are clean… Just like the food Peter is told to take and kill and eat.

We are not suppose to rely on our own understanding or what we think God has told us. We are to
listen to what God is telling us now and follow where He is leading. So do not rely on tradition only, but on what God is telling us now. As Peter was shown if God made it it is clean. Just because some written tradition says it is not is not a higher authority than God. We need to seek what God is leading us to do and and be more than what we know we had done in the past.

Follow God and rely not on where we have been…

begs into one

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. (Luke 9:28-36 NRSV)

Pray is an important part to our christian walk.

But what is prayer…

How about this?

Is that really what prayer is? A time as my seminary professor would say “to put all your begs into one ask it”?

Prayer is not about getting our laundry list to God. It is not about getting our requests known. It is about deepening our relationship and growing in our discipleship. God tells us today in our lesson we are to listen to Jesus. If we listen to Jesus we will learn what God’s dreams are for us. We will hear what God desires for us.

We will grow in our relationship if we not only tell God everything we want but take some time to listen to what He has to tell us. If we don’t treat pray or God like a cosmic vending machine, we will go much further…

Lead you…

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”  Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!  For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Luke 10:21-24 ESV)

Have you ever noticed how little children seem to make up their own rules? Or people who are new to the system don’t yet know all of the ins and outs of how to be a part of this place at this time. We assume everyone knows the rules and is willing and able to play by them. However the truth of the matter was revealed to those who don’t know the rules to play by…

God showed children the truth of the kingdom and confused the smart and wise and the insiders with the knowledge that they know the rules and therefore have it all together. Little children will enter the kingdom because they follow with a faith that those of us who think we know the right way to act do not have because of our knowledge.

So come to God not thinking you already know what is right, but with a faith to follow where He will lead you…

Stubborn…

“Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. Even at Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, and the LORD was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. And the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words that the LORD had spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And at the end of forty days and forty nights the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. Then the LORD said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them; they have made themselves a metal image.’ “Furthermore, the LORD said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people. Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ (Deuteronomy 9:6-14 ESV)

Have you ever stood your ground at all costs? Throwing every thing to the side and standing tough, and not budging on where you stood. You knew you were right and no matter of factual information was going to sway you from where you were. You knew you were right and that was that.

Just like the Israelites knew that Moses had abandoned them when he went up the mountain to be with God and had Aaron make them the golden calf. They were ready to get what was theirs, because they had been led out of their slavery into the wilderness to die. No they were going to the land that God had promised them, not because they were righteous and willing to serve God, but because God loved them.

Just like us, who know better then God, God loves us. He will not push us away because we tell Him how to do things and get upset when He doesn’t do it our way. He is fine with us throwing a fit because He did it wrong.

Do not be stubborn, but allow God to burn in your heart so that you may always be a beacon of hope for the world.

Witness

While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon’s. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. (Acts 3:11-16 ESV)

What are you a witness to?

Is your life pointing toward something that society doesn’t recognize?

Do you live in such a way that people point in stare and ask questions about why you do the things you do?

Do you live in such a way that the gospel emanates from your life?

Our lives are to be different. We are supposed to live in a way that points people to God into the love that we have through him. We are the light in the salt to this world. We are the hands and feet of God. We are the ones who are the witnesses to his love to this world. So if your life is not drawing attention to the love that you’ve been given then I ask to what are you a witness?

Missed

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” (Luke 19:41-44 NRSV)

Have you ever had a Holy Visitation?

A visit from God?

If you said or thought “no” did you miss it?

In our text today Jesus is weeping over the city because they did not recognize God had been with them. God was with them and they did not know He was there. He was working in and through the world around them and they missed it. Do we miss God in our world? Do we miss Him working around us, through us?

Where have we missed God?

Hard things…

Naaman, commander of the arm of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, “Wash, and be clean”?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:1-14 ESV)

Isn’t it interesting we are unlikely to do what we are told to do?

Those of you with children know how many times you have to ask them to do something before it actually gets done. You sometimes have to ask over and over again…

Why do we hesitate to do what we are told? Especially if it is from a prophet or God? We hesitate even when it is easy.

We can have so much more and an abundant life if we would only do what we are asked…