Fasting
Matthew 6:16-18
August 13, 2006
Every day we make a myriad of decisions. Decisions are made from the time we wake up until the time we go to sleep, and what time we do both, we decide. This is a modern problem. As technology and science have advanced, we have more options than those who lived in ancient times. And yet, today's teaching comes from what lies behind our decision making and the choices we make. Again we are challenged not to be a hypocrite. And, we'll remember that this Greek word is also the same word for Actor. Don't be an actor and taking on a role when you make decisions, be an authentic creation of God working on behalf of the Jesus movement. Know yourself and who this God is calling you to be, it's crucial for making decisions that reflect our covenant with the Holy One and it's crucial for allowing the Holy One to come and dwell within.
Remember, Matthew's community has been cast out and ejected from the religious community they have known their whole lives. The reason for this ejection is their belief and participation in the Jesus movement. In order that they remember why this ejection is worth living through, why this ejection is worth losing connection with their families, their culture, their places of worship, Matthew's community is reconstructing the things we must do to be the people of faith as the Jesus movement. Matthew's community is trying to gather together the things that transformed them into believers in this unconditionally loving God of justice and witness. In this part of the gospel story, Matthew has already spent time talking about righteousness, prayer, forgiveness and today he speaks about fasting.
If prayer were email, fasting would be the little red flag you can add to make an email urgent. In ancient times, fasting was required when a prayer was more dire. Perhaps, the rains hadn't come it too long and crops were dying. The community would fast and then pray to God, showing their dedication and earnestness of the prayer. Fasting was also required during the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It allowed one to focus on connecting our actions to our learning to be people of faith. It allowed one to begin again from a clean slate and from the beginning it seemed clear that God expected a change in actions just from doing this practice of fasting. In other words, if we can choose to not eat, a basic human need, we must be able to change the behaviors that lead to needing Atonement on the day of getting back together with God. Atonement, means being at one with God. If one can fast for the day of atonement, setting aside basic human needs, then surely in our daily living we can set aside the things that get between us and God: lying, worshipping false gods, hatred, violence, etc.
Fasting means abstaining from food. It is a choice. It is a decision people made in times past to clear themselves and bring them closer to God in prayer. To show God their sincerity of the prayer. And, that's really what today's teaching is asking us to do. It's not about the actual practice of fasting, but it's the attitude behind our actions, it's the motivation behind our choices and decisions. Today's teaching wants to know, what we are willing to do to be authentic people as part of the Jesus movement. Are we going to be actors, running around making decisions as if only the moment mattered? Are we going to be actors just aching for the reaction of our friends and family? Or will we be the people of the Jesus movement who will be signs of God's kin-dom making decisions and choices that support our covenant to being the people of peace, love, hope and joy?
I had the opportunity this week to see the movie Saved. It's a satire about the people who are part of Christianity and what motivates them. One of the main characters drives today's point home over the top as is the whole wonderful film. She makes her life about being “the best Christian”. This means she becomes righteous, unforgiving, shaming, better than and highly insecure. Because her decision making creates an illusion of perfection that no human could hold to. This creates fear within her, for she also can not keep up the act without getting caught. The Hillary character at one point in the film holds a prayer meeting under the guise of helping one of their classmates who had “fallen”. However, it is clear from the outset that she is only trying to shame this classmate and the people who like him. She uses prayer and God to smear this classmate. It's a fictitous movie and over the top, but it drives our point home today.
Last week we talked about how the institutional church has been a sham and brought shame to people using forgiveness as a weapon. Today's teaching, through this dialogue of fasting is asking us to discern what is motivating us. Today's teaching is asking us within the quiet of our soul and the stillness of our truth if we are a sham, full of flim flam and just making decisions to honor ourselves or to look like “the greatest Christian”. Instead, our covenant with God is to be part of the kin-dom come, part of the radically inclusive and loving one is living into those images. We are called to be signs that this kind of peaceful, inclusive world is possible.
So how is it that you come to know God? How is it that you choose to have time with God. What kind of show are you putting on? The answers to these questions will help us to live more authentically along this journey of growing and knowing God. Be real. As the Introduction to Today's theme reminds, we can get up each morning and put on a new face. Instead let's wash our faces and do our hair, getting ready to face the world as whole, loving, joyful people of peace. Let us pray.