One of the ways we seek God during Lent is through taking up spiritual practices. Dallas Willard divides these practices into two categories, "disciplines of abstinence" and "disciplines of engagement." The disciplines of abstinence get the most attention (they're in view when we hear of someone "giving something up for Lent"), but both are important and fit well with the ethos of the Lenten season. For us here at Hardy Memorial, I'm going to suggest we share in one discipline of abstinence and two disciplines of engagement.
The discipline of abstinence I'm going to suggest is fasting. At its most basic fasting is not eating. Merely not eating isn't the point, however. The point of fasting for the Christian is
to dedicate to God the time and resources connected with eating. It's for deeper focus on
conversation with God. Beyond our habit of eating multiple meals (and snacks?) every day, there are limitations on fasting. Here is some advice mentioned by Adele Calhoun in her book on spiritual disciplines:
- Don't fast when you are sick, traveling, pregnant or nursing. People with diabetes, gout, liver disease, kidney disease, ulcers, hypoglycemia, cancer and blood diseases should not fast. [Some of you should consult your doctor before fasting.]
- Stay hydrated. Always drink plenty of water and fluids.
- If you are new to fasting, begin by fasting for one meal. Spend the time with God that you would normally be eating.
- Begin after supper. Fast until supper the next day. This way you miss 2, rather than 3, meals.
- Don't break your fast with a huge meal. Eat small portions of food. The longer the fast, the more you need to break the fast gently.
Some of you will be able to do a sort of modified fast, perhaps refraining for the period in view from some category of food (meat, sweets, gourmet food) or having only very simple food (water, apple, bread, etc.). Given the way my digestion works, fasting food is difficult, so I'll be fasting from Facebook. That may sound trivial, but it's become an unhealthy addiction for me.
The two disciplines of engagement I'm suggesting pertain to scripture. First, I challenge us to read the whole New Testament during Lent. We'll share reading guides to help you do that. Second, I challenge us to practice scripture memory. Here are a few you might choose from: John 3:16-17; 8:31-32; 14:6; 16:33; Romans 5:8; 8:1, 37-39; Psalm 23; Matthew 5:3-16; 11:27-30; 22:37-40; 28:19-20; Galatians 2:20; 5:22-23; Philippians 4:4-8, 13, 19.
If you'd like to explore Willard's work on spiritual disciplines in greater detail, here's a link to a video series I did on it a few years ago: https://bit.ly/hardydisciples
1 Corinthians 15:58
Rev. Richard Heyduck