BECOMING: Fasting

Hello church (and anyone else reading)!

This week we continued our 10-week study of spiritual practices that we are calling BECOMING. (If you were absent, click here to watch the sermon back--you won’t want to miss it!) 

Who we are becoming should be intentional, not accidental. In this series, we are exploring nine ancient practices that position us to be formed by Christ and so become like Him. This week, Mario shared with us about the practice of fasting, and about how fasting helps us to re-orient our desires to align with God’s 

The Scripture from this sermon was Isaiah 58, which you can find below along with this week’s resources!

“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.

    Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.

Tell my people Israel[a] of their sins!

2     Yet they act so pious!

They come to the Temple every day

    and seem delighted to learn all about me.

They act like a righteous nation

    that would never abandon the laws of its God.

They ask me to take action on their behalf,

    pretending they want to be near me.

3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.

    ‘Why aren’t you impressed?

We have been very hard on ourselves,

    and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond.

    “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.

Even while you fast,

    you keep oppressing your workers.

4 What good is fasting

    when you keep on fighting and quarreling?

This kind of fasting

    will never get you anywhere with me.

5 You humble yourselves

    by going through the motions of penance,

bowing your heads

    like reeds bending in the wind.

You dress in burlap

    and cover yourselves with ashes.

Is this what you call fasting?

    Do you really think this will please the Lord?

6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;

    lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free,

    and remove the chains that bind people.

7 Share your food with the hungry,

    and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them,

    and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,

    and your wounds will quickly heal.

Your godliness will lead you forward,

    and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.

    ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.

    Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!

10 Feed the hungry,

    and help those in trouble.

Then your light will shine out from the darkness,

    and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

11 The Lord will guide you continually,

    giving you water when you are dry

    and restoring your strength.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

    like an ever-flowing spring.

12 Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.

    Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls

    and a restorer of homes.

13 “Keep the Sabbath day holy.

    Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,

but enjoy the Sabbath

    and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.

Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,

    and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.

14 Then the Lord will be your delight.

    I will give you great honor

and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.

    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Resource 1: For a short recap about what fasting is and why we do it, check out this video from our friends over at the Bible Project!

Resource 2: For a deeper dive into fasting as a spiritual practice, listen to this podcast series from Practicing the Way’s podcast guides.

Know that you are deeply loved and called to share that love with others. We hope to see you next week as we continue to learn and grow alongside you! 

Grace and Peace, 

Community Cup staff