FAST FROM THE WORLD AND FEAST UPON CHRIST
In Sunday’s first Cast of Christmas sermon, we met a character named Anna. An old woman who “did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day” (Lk 2:37). Fasting is a spiritual discipline that is typically practiced by privately and occasionally going without food (or any good thing: sports, sweets, books that aren’t scripture, social media, caffeine) for some specific period of time in view of some specific purpose. The absence of food induces a hunger which is meant to make us hungry for God, as the pains of our body (or absence of the fasted object) remind us to seek the presence of God.
Anna’s fasting demonstrated two things. 1) She had desires that no worldly thing, pleasure, or joy could fulfill. She was longing for something more than this world could offer. 2) God was greater than all the lesser joys of the world and had in himself the fullness of joy. She longed for a joy that was not of this world and found it in the presence of God, and most fully, as she came into the presence of the infant Jesus.
Jesus was the sum of all of Anna’s desires. He fulfilled her longing for “the redemption of Jerusalem,” (Lk 2:38), for fellowship and communion with the God who made her, and for salvation from her sin. She wanted him, she needed him, and as she beheld him, her days of fasting came to a close as she feasted upon the glory of Christ.
This Christmas season, consider fasting as a way to clarify your vision of Christ and sharpen your affections for him - to not miss Christ in the midst of Christmas. For those interested in more information and guidance on fasting, check out the article Fasting for Beginners by David Mathis or download the pdf of A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer by John Piper. But in lieu of further reading, here are 4 steps to begin sharpening your affections for Christ this Christmas season:
1. Start small – no need to fast all month. Maybe fast from just 1 meal a day for a certain period, 1 day out of your week, or one week out of the whole month.
2. Plan what you’ll do instead of eating – More than just not eating, in the time you’re fasting you should plan to be intentionally feasting on Christ. How will you do this? What scripture, books, or Advent devotionals will you read? Where will you do it?
3. Consider how it will affect others – don’t boycott Christmas dinner! Don’t cancel Christmas altogether, just discipline yourself to seek Christ intentionally in the midst of all the Christmas activity around you.
4. Consider fasting from something other than food – for health reasons – physically and spiritually. Your physical health may not make it wise to fast, and beyond that, some of your other habits could be unhealthier still! Take a break from social media. Pray with your family and acknowledge Jesus as the greatest gift before exchanging any lesser gifts. Participate in Advent as a family, light a candle each Sunday, read a Scripture, and devote time to Jesus that you would otherwise spend at leisure as you start or end your day. Do something to make Christ the first focus of your Christmas celebration while relegating all lesser Christmas joys to their proper secondary place.
Allow fasting to help you enjoy the Christmas season, but to enjoy Christ more - as the greatest gift we could ever give or receive.
