Reflections on feasting and fasting

                                                   

Rev. Molly F. James, PhD

Shrove Tuesday Homily

DFMS Noonday Prayer

March 1, 2022

May God’s Word be spoken. May God’s Word be heard. May that point us to the living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

So my friends, it is Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday. A day for pancakes or beignets or some sort of feasting. A day for eating way more sugary deliciousness than we might normally eat. All in preparation for the beginning of Lent. Quick let’s get all our gluttony in befor our fasting in the season of Lent or at least on Ash Wednesday.

Here's the thing, friends, I am not good at fasting. I am sure it comes as no surprise that the priest who loves to bake cookies and always has a basket of snacks in her office doesn't like fasting. Intellectually I get it. It seems like a great way to cleanse your body and to focus on God, on all things spiritual. But here's my difficulty, as everyone who has ever taken a trip with me can attest, I am less fun to be around if I don't eat regularly. I get tired and cranky. I don't feel good, and I usually end up with a headache. And since I get enough of those because my left shoulder is missing a bone, it all conspires to have fasting be a pretty unpleasant experience. And I am pretty sure that is not what God intended. 

Jesus came that we might have life abundant. Not misery abundant. Now, of course, some of you may find fasting to be a glorious way to deepen your relationship with God. That is wonderful! I hope you fast as often as is meaningful to you, whether it's Lent or not. 

I just think it's important for those of us for whom fasting is not an enriching experience are reassured that we are not lesser Christians nor have we failed at Lent before it's even started. Nor do I think that not fasting tomorrow means there can be no feasting either. I think feasting (in moderation) is good for our souls. And I don't just mean eating more fat and sugar than we usually do. Occasionally, a special dessert or an extra cookie might just be the thing. Most of the time though, I think feasting doesn't need to be about overconsumption of food. I think it is about the quality of what we eat, how it nourishes our bodies and souls, and how good it feels to savor a delicious meal.

I also think that it is important to remember that our feasting and fasting don’t necessarily even have to be about food. Many of us have complicated relationships with food or medical realities that dictate what we can and cannot eat. Many years ago a colleague shared a wonderful quote from Presiding Bishop Arthur Lichtenburger (and if his name seems familiar, it’s because its on the wall in the lobby of 815). He was Presiding Bishop when it was built. He invites us to:

“Fast from criticism and feast on praise; 

Fast from self-pity, and feast on joy; 

Fast from ill temper, and feast on peace;  

Fast from resentment, and feast on contentment; 

Fast from jealousy, and feast on humility; 

Fast from pride and feast on love; 

Fast from selfishness, and feast on service; 

Fast from fear, and feast on faith.”

Indeed. Our feasting and fasting do not have to be about what we eat. They can be about the disposition and habits of our hearts. I think especially this year, when we are exhausted and stressed when the world seems to be either on the brink of descending into chaos or the brink of returning to some kind of normalcy depending on the day or hour or who are talking to or which news outlets you follow. And given all the supply chain issues, it is probably best if our feasting  is not contingent on what what we can find on our grocery shelves. 

So in the days and weeks ahead, I hope there is plenty of feasting, even though it will be Lent. I hope we all keep finding moments and practices that deepen our faith, fill us with peace, and help us to remember that we are surrounded by love. Today and always. Amen. 

 

Feast on Joy

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Rev. Molly F. James, PhD

Grace, Hartford

Lent 1; March 1, 2020

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11; Psalm 32

May God's Word be spoken. May God's Word be heard. May that point us to the Living Word who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The other morning, as I came into the kitchen from an early morning CrossFit class, our daughter Katherine was sitting at the piano playing beautiful music. Our son, Halsted, came running down the stairs saying, “Mom, mom, mom, mom.” He jumped up and gave me a big hug. You know the kind of hug only kids can give? The one that wraps arms and legs around you with a fierceness that you didn’t realize could come from such a small body. It was a moment of delight and gratitude. A perfect way to begin the day. 

It was a moment in which I got to “feast on joy.” I have been thinking about that moment as I reflect on the readings and collect for today. Here we are at the beginning of Lent. A time when we have taken on or are still thinking about taking on, a new discipline. A time when we can focus a lot on what we should give up or what we should NOT do. Particularly with the emphasis in our readings today on temptation . . .

First, we get the classic reading from the third chapter of Genesis. The story of the Fall. That  fabulous origin story that helps to explain why life is so difficult, messy, and fragile. We aren’t in the Garden of Eden anymore. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. They listened to the wily serpent and gave into temptation. Now, we are all suffering the consequences. Clear take home lesson: “Don’t give into temptation.”

Then we get our Gospel from Matthew, where Jesus is tempted by the devil. And by tempted we mean really tempted. Jesus is offered the world, quite literally, if he will merely bow to the devil’s authority. Jesus does not give into temptation. Yet again, Jesus is the paragon of virtue, the preeminent example for us to follow. Further reinforcement of the message: “Don’t give into temptation.” 

And its Lent, so it can seem virtuous to focus our efforts on not giving into temptation, but I want to nuance this a bit. So often our focus in Lent can be on not giving into the temptation of dessert or wine or some other treat we love. I have always found it more fruitful to think about Lent as an opportunity to start a new discipline, a new habit. It is an opportunity to make a positive change that we hope to continue, even after Easter. 

There is a quote, a Lenten invitation from a former Presiding Bishop, Arthur Lichtenburger that I have found helpful in reframing how I think about Lent. It is where I got that “feast on joy” phrase that described my wonderful morning of music and hugs from our children. 

Bishop Lichtenburger invites us to:

Fast from criticism and feast on praise; 

Fast from self-pity, and feast on joy; 

Fast from ill temper, and feast on peace;  

Fast from resentment, and feast on contentment; 

Fast from jealousy, and feast on humility; 

Fast from pride and feast on love; 

Fast from selfishness, and feast on service; 

Fast from fear, and feast on faith.

If I am going to think about not giving into temptation this Lent, it is far more life giving to think about not giving into the temptations of fear or jealousy or pride. Given the harshness of our news headlines, the realities of evil and suffering in the world, the acrimony that seems ever present in our civil discourse, it could be easy to give into the temptation to let fear win. There are a lot of voices out there that would have us believe that we have much to fear. 

But we are not a people of fear. We are a people of hope. We are a people of joy. As Katherine’s music and Halsted’s hug reminded me the other morning, we all need a little more hope, a little more joy in our lives. Life is indeed difficult, messy, and fragile. And it is also beautiful, magnificent, and full of blessings. The question is, often, what are we looking for? What is our lens? What is our frame? If we choose to look for all the things that confirm our fears. If we choose to buy into a theology of scarcity, a belief that we are all in competition and there will never be enough, it will be easy to find things that confirm our fears. The devil likes nothing more than playing on our fears and convincing us that we are better off on our own, separated from God and each other. 

On the other hand, that is not the life to which God calls us. God calls us to an abundant life. To a life of joy and love, a life that is firmly guided by the conviction that there is always enough. That we are enough. That love is stronger than hate. That faith and hope are stronger than fear.

If Lent is an opportunity for us to turn over a new leaf, to reorient ourselves more fully toward God, then I invite us to do that by being on the lookout for the ways in which God’s joyful, abundant, life-giving love keeps showing up in our lives. Be on the lookout for smiles, for hugs, for laughter, for music, for opportunities to build relationship and connection. We could all use a “feast of joy” in our lives. So may our hearts be all the more open to receive those gifts when they are offered, and may we be inspired to create joy for others. AMEN.