http://cyberbrethren.com/2008/02/09/reflection-on-lent-fasting-and-fixing-eyes-on-jesus/ Devoted to authentic Lutheranism Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:33:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://cyberbrethren.com/2008/02/09/reflection-on-lent-fasting-and-fixing-eyes-on-jesus/comment-page-1/#comment-1611 Rev. Steve Schlund Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:23:40 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=441#comment-1611 I found this thread interesting because it's an issue that came up in our congregation. Our congregation loves to eat. When Lent came about, I suggested, not that we fast or even fast on Ash Wednesday, but that we simply cut out the the multitudes of rich desserts at our soup suppers as a very minimal "fast." The idea was met with resistance. We did it last year and people complained the whole time. This year, those who served the soup supper went ahead with desserts against my expressed wishes because, they said, "we want our desserts." Obviously, while eating desserts may send you to Weight Watchers, it will not send you to hell so we cannot insist on this or make any strict rules about fasting. What I find sad is the failure to see anything useful in such a practice as fasting and deciding any issue with the question "Do we HAVE to do this?" I am frustrated over trying to encourage useful practices without either making unscriptural law about them (the problem of the Pharisees and the church at the time of Luther)or omitting them because "we don't HAVE to do them." Thank you for this useful article. I found this thread interesting because it’s an issue that came up in our congregation. Our congregation loves to eat. When Lent came about, I suggested, not that we fast or even fast on Ash Wednesday, but that we simply cut out the the multitudes of rich desserts at our soup suppers as a very minimal “fast.”
The idea was met with resistance. We did it last year and people complained the whole time. This year, those who served the soup supper went ahead with desserts against my expressed wishes because, they said, “we want our desserts.”
Obviously, while eating desserts may send you to Weight Watchers, it will not send you to hell so we cannot insist on this or make any strict rules about fasting. What I find sad is the failure to see anything useful in such a practice as fasting and deciding any issue with the question “Do we HAVE to do this?”
I am frustrated over trying to encourage useful practices without either making unscriptural law about them (the problem of the Pharisees and the church at the time of Luther)or omitting them because “we don’t HAVE to do them.”
Thank you for this useful article.

]]> http://cyberbrethren.com/2008/02/09/reflection-on-lent-fasting-and-fixing-eyes-on-jesus/comment-page-1/#comment-1612 orthodoxy hunter Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:47:51 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=441#comment-1612 Wow.. just wow. Wow.. just wow.

]]> http://cyberbrethren.com/2008/02/09/reflection-on-lent-fasting-and-fixing-eyes-on-jesus/comment-page-1/#comment-1613 William Weedon Sat, 09 Feb 2008 20:57:28 +0000 http://cyberbrethren.com/?p=441#comment-1613 I think the end of the world is coming. Pastor McCain is quoting St. Ephrem the Syrian. McCain: Go exercise! And note: I quoted him but helped the dear man by adding the Gospel. Just seemed a shame for him to have gone through the whole confession he did without any Jesus or absolution! I think the end of the world is coming. Pastor McCain is quoting St. Ephrem the Syrian.
McCain: Go exercise! And note: I quoted him but helped the dear man by adding the Gospel. Just seemed a shame for him to have gone through the whole confession he did without any Jesus or absolution!

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