You may or may not know this about me, but for many, many years I waited tables. For example, while living in Kansas City, I worked at the Rainforest Café for a year (one of my least favorite restaurant experiences!) and The Cheesecake Factory for three. I enjoyed the latter much more than the former! Typically, I took all my classes all day and night on Monday and then Tuesday night, which allowed me to work Tuesday through Saturday during the day at The Cheesecake Factory. And yes, I worked different church jobs (without pay) on top of all that!
Anyway, during Lent I often am reminded of the funny reactions I would get from people on Fridays when I would tell them the specials. The soup was always Clam Chowder, and we also had a fish of the day. More often than I can count, a person would act disinterested in the specials, and then, as if suddenly struck by some small and painful object in their neck, they would crane their neck and exclaim, "Ohhhhhhh...... I almost forgot, it's Friday, so I can't have meat." Then, having just barely remember their Lenten ball and chain, they would proceed to half-heartedly order something that they would assure me, they were not very interested in. (Now, they would almost always end up enjoying their lunch....it was The Cheesecake Factory after all, but that's beside the point.) Lent, and their Christian beliefs in general, was a burden, rather than a blessing. For these folks, the Lenten fast was not about giving something up, or making sacrifices, in order to intentionally pursue a closer walk with Jesus. Rather, it was just a stale tradition. I don't know how many times I wanted to say, "Listen, as a pastor and a theologian, just order whatever kind of meat you want, because you've clearly missed the whole point, and you're not getting anything out of this!" Rest assured, I kept my thoughts to myself!
But now I won't.
If I might be so bold, how's your Lenten fast going? Has it been beneficial? Have you been able to find time and motivation to spend more time in prayer, more time studying Scripture, more time serving, more time seeking forgiveness? If the answer to one or more of these questions is "yes," then congratulations, keep it up! Or, has it been annoying, tedious, frustrating, or simply unpleasant? Be honest. If your answer to this second set of questions is "yes" then perhaps you need to refocus, or perhaps you need to give up the fast. A Lenten fast, though perhaps difficult, and certainly sacrificial, is meant to be fulfilling, and rewarding. It is meant to help you to draw nearer to Jesus. You won't be able to do this if you are constantly frustrated.
Don't forget, fasting for Lent is not in Scripture, Jesus didn't command it to His disciples, nor is it commandment #11 given to Moses, on Monty Python's infamous third tablet. You don't have to do it, and you don't get extra points for doing it either. I think you will find, however, that a Lenten fast is a great way of refocusing, of getting your priorities straight, and of embracing a life of sacrifice - which is after all, a big part of discipleship. You give up some things to follow Christ - but you gain so much more.
So, you've got about a week left of your Lenten fast. Facebook, meat, diet coke, coffee, talking, texting, whatever you've chosen to give up, I want to challenge you to really make the most of it this last week. Your fast is a chance to remember that God has a call on your life - that you are called to live differently. Seen from this perspective, I would think that the person in the restaurant should have said, "Oh yeah, it's Lent and so I get to shake up my diet for a while to remember just how blessed I am in the first place, and that every good gift comes from God the Father above - and that includes food!"
"For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." - Psalm 51:16-17
Well said, Rusty.
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