the fast of
ashes
Opening Prayer
Almighty
and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all
who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we,
worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of
you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP 217)
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
Blow the ram’s-horn in Zion,
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let everybody in the country tremble,
for the Day of Yahweh is coming,
yes, it is near.
Day of darkness and gloom,
Day of cloud and blackness.
Like the dawn, across the mountains
spreads a vast and mighty people,
such as has never been before,
such as will never be again
to the remotest ages.
‘But now—declares Yahweh—
come back to me with all your heart,
fasting, weeping, mourning.’
Tear your hearts and not your clothes,
and come back to Yahweh your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger, rich in faithful love,
and he relents about inflicting disaster.
Who knows if he will not come back, relent
and leave a blessing behind him,
a cereal offering and a libation
to be presented to Yahweh your God?
Blow the ram’s-horn in Zion!
Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly,
call the people together,
summon the community,
assemble the elders,
gather the children,
even infants at the breast!
Call the bridegroom from his bedroom
and the bride from her bower!
Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh,
stand weeping between portico and altar,
saying, ‘Spare your people, Yahweh!
Do not expose your heritage to the
contempt,
to the sarcasm of the nations!
Why give the peoples cause to say,
“Where is their God?” NJB
Prayer of Response
Almighty
God,
Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
maker
of all things, judge of all people:
We
acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness,
which
we from time to time most grievously have committed,
by
thought, word, and deed, against thy divine majesty,
provoking
most justly thy wrath and indignation against us.
We
do earnestly repent,
and
are heartily sorry for these our misdoings;
the
remembrance of them is grievous unto us,
the
burden of them is intolerable.
Have
mercy upon us,
have
mercy upon us, most merciful Father.
For
thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,
forgive
us all that is past;
and
grant that we may ever hereafter
serve
and please thee in newness of life,
to
the honor and glory of thy Name;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP 331)
Hear
the Word of God to all who truly turn to him: Come unto me, all ye that travail
and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you.
Watch
Read the next two
pages on fasting and visit asburyreader.com to watch the short film introducing the season of Lent.
story immersion
practice: fasting
Jesus, full of
the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the
desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during
those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
Luke 4:1-2
Some say fasting leads
us to the wilderness. Others claim fasting is the wilderness itself.
Regardless, fasting can take us to a place of God-awareness leading to self-awareness. Fasting ignites a furnace of transformation,
raising our prayer life by an exponential factor. Fasting is difficult, a place of struggling
with God and self. It pushes all our buttons and reveals all our weaknesses.
Progress is hard to measure and often only discernable in hindsight. The key is
one’s orientation with the practice.
Fasting must not be reduced to, “what I’m giving up for Lent.”
Fasting leads to the secret place of feasting on “every word that
comes from the mouth of God,” and the public place of kingdom righteousness in
the streets. “I have food that you know nothing about,” says Jesus to his
disciples. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me.” True fasting locates
us “in Christ” in the wilderness where he trains us in his unique way of
“loving mercy, doing justly and walking humbly with God.” (see Micah 6:8) The
practice of fasting narrates us into the story in a profoundly experiential
way. As Jesus journeyed from the blessing of baptism to the challenges of the
wilderness so do we.
Throughout centuries
of Christian pilgrimage, the season of Lent has come to be associated with a
time of intense self-examination, confession and repentance. Across ages of
Christian Tradition, Lent has become synonymous with one practice: fasting. A
practice of self denial, fasting cultivates appetite for God by denying
appetite for things of the world. A form of voluntary poverty, fasting
identifies us with the poor and marginal, revealing our misplaced treasure and
rerouting the longing of our hearts.
The Triune God has
created all things and called them good. He bids us to receive his good gifts
with thanksgiving. But he also calls us to fast and to practice self-control.
Christians have honored this two-fold truth by celebrating alternating seasons
of fasting and feasting in the Church year. The fifty-day feast of Easter is
preceded by the forty-day fast of Lent. But fasting is often ignored in our
Western culture. Here are some suggestions—not rules—for different ways to
fast. Fasting is both taking something out of our lives, and replacing it with
something else. Find ways for God to more fully saturate your life; partake
more fully of the means of grace. Fasting is both a personal and a corporate
discipline; find accountability in community.
practical
guidance for fasting
• Disobey your thirst. One purpose of
fasting is to teach us self-control. “People are slaves to whatever masters
them” (2 Peter 2:19). Intentionally abstaining from our cravings demonstrates
that Jesus, not our stomach, is our true Lord. It also identifies with the
billions throughout the world who are unable to satisfy their every desire.
• Fast on Wednesday and Friday. From the first
century, Christians have set these days apart for fasting. John Wesley desired
the Methodists to keep these fasts each week. At minimum, try and fast for a 24
hour period once per week. Try eating the evening meal on Tuesday and not eating
again until the evening meal on Wednesday. Drink water or juice through the
day.
• Fast from food. Total abstention from
food (and sometimes drink) is the primary Biblical model of fasting.
• Fast from meat. Throughout history,
meat has been the food of the wealthy.
The Church has traditionally suggested abstaining from this delicacy
during periods of fasting. Sometimes
fasting from dairy products has also been encouraged.
• Fast from dessert. Rich and sweet
desserts are rare in the world; only in Western culture are they
commonplace.
• Fast from coffee, soda, etc. Examine how much of
your diet is given to unnecessary trifles. Prove in your actions, “God, I love
you more than coffee.”
• Fast from entertainment. Most entertainment is
not by nature evil, but it is superfluous.
• Are you addicted to a certain
television show?
• Do you need that new DVD or CD?
• Do you spend more time watching
movies than in prayer?
• How central are computer games
to your lifestyle?
• Is internet social networking
taking the place of face to face community?
• Attend the Eucharist regularly. Let the body and
blood of Christ replace your breakfast or lunch. Feast on him.
• Let the money you may
save fasting from food or entertainment be given to the poor. This is the kind of
fast God delights in (Isa. 58:7).
• Spend more time in prayer and Bible study. Feast on the Word of
God.
• Spend time with family or friends that is centered
around prayer or service rather than entertainment. Spend a weekend at a
homeless shelter rather than at the movies.
“Everything created by
God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided it is received with
thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by God’s word and by prayer” (1 Tim. 4:4-5).
But a rhythm of fasting and feasting will enrich us spiritually and enable us
to encounter God more fully. Forsaking goods for a period of time makes them
all the more significant during times of feasting.
Thanks for posting this! It helps me, an ExL student in Texas feel connected to the seminary, and enables God's Spirit to work within.
Posted by: Dustin McEwen | February 25, 2009 at 02:11 PM