Old Testament

fasting to feast

/ Eric Mathews / Leave a comment
Hagia Sophia Feeding of the 5000, via Wikimedia Commons
 
 
During Lent, let us…

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ within them.
Fast from an emphasis on difference; feast on the unity of life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from worry; feast on trust in God’s Care.
Fast from unrelenting pressure; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.

Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragements; feast on hope.

William Arthur Ward 1921-1994 Texan Methodist minister
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Isaiah 58:6-10

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.

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Question

What is one worldly area that you can begin fasting from 
    in order to begin feasting in God’s way?

whatever you provide

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image via Wikimedia Commons
 
​Lord, give us all that the necessity of this life requires, day by day.

We do not want to store up a supply that would last for many years,
    to preclude all necessity of praying to you.
We do not want to forget you.
But minister it day by day,
    so that we may daily feel your benefits and never forget you.

Or if you give us an abundance above what we desire,
    then give us a heart to use it for the purpose you intend
    – including sharing with our neighbors.
Help us not to be overly attached to what you provide,
    but to remember it is yours,
    and that you may take it away whenever you like.

In that way help us to be content with whatever you do,
    always keeping in mind that whatever you provide
    is simply our daily bread.
Amen.

William Tyndale c.1492-1536 English Bible translator, martyred
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Proverbs 30:7-9

Two things I ask of you, Lord;
    do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
    give me neither poverty nor riches,
    but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
    and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
    and so dishonor the name of my God.


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Questions:

Are you content when God provides you with just the necessities?
When God provides an abundance, have you taken hold of opportunities to share?

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Plea for Divine Presence

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Older than the morning stars 
    that twinkled in the blackness of night’s first birth,
    the rotation of the axis of time,
    bring us into the freshness of your mercy 
    and the newness of your presence.
We come to you today with heartfelt gratitude,
    not with mixing Judas paint with Judas praise
    in order to cover our hypocrisy.
Some of us come to you with triumph over tragedy.
Others of us come with enduring pain
    suffering from shameful defeat
    in an inescapable battle of life.
Some of us feel like going on
    and others of us feel like giving up.
But to you we come just as we are.
Whether we are winners or losers,
    we know that you love us one and all.
Greatest of the Greatest,
    you know just how much we can bear.
We all come to commune with you:
 
    The tireless champion;
    The tired loser;
    The retired forgotten ones;
    We all come to be consistently corrected
        and confronted by you.
    We come counting our lost.
    We come as citizens of cities controlled by crime.
    We come chilled by the cold of cowardice.
    Great God Almighty:
    Commune with us conscience clean.
    Caress us with the cradle of compassion.
    Consecrate us with courageous convictions.
    Control us with Christlike concerns.
    Great Physician Powerful:
    Pardon us with the conscience of peace.
    Place us in paths of productivity.
 
Practice the perfection of healing 
    upon those who are physically, emotionally, or spiritually sick.
This is our humble plea, 
    we present in the precious Name of the prince of peace, 
    Jesus Christ, our priceless priest. Amen.
 
J. Alfred Smith, Sr, 1931-2025, American pastor in Oakland, California
 
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For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs

Help us look for you, Lord

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The Christ Mosaic, Maria Laach Abbey Germany, via pikpik
 
Jesus,
   how clearly we see you at Christmas time,
   cradled by Mary,
   protected by Joseph,
   worshiped by shepherds,
   honored by kings,
   enshrined on the altar,
   and loved by the world.

But, oh, Lord,
   help us look for you, too,
   among the taxes of life,
   and the wanderings of rootless travelers.
   In the world’s smelly stables,
   and in makeshift mangers.
   In sweat-like drops of blood
   and rough-hewn crosses, humanly fashioned.
   Help us look, Lord –
   and help us find!

Not only at Christmas,
   but throughout a New Year
   that it might become indeed
   ‘the year of our Lord’.

Mary Sue Rosenberger 1940-2020 American author, nurse and chaplain
Prayers Encircling the World
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Hosea 10:12

Sow righteousness for yourselves,
   reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
   for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
   and showers his righteousness on you.
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What is one practice you can adopt that would help you seek Jesus throughout the year?

We ask for Good Tidings

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Angels Announcing Christ’s Birth to the Shepherds, Govert Flinck, wikimedia commons
 
Dear God:
The newspaper brings nothing new
    only an old, old story of war—
    more bombing, more shooting, more bloodshed.
    One more family wailing a funeral song.
Against the backdrop of brutal images,
    we hear the old, old story of an angel with good news,
    who brought good tidings of great joy for all people.

Angel of Bethlehem, we long to hear your song again this day.
We want good tidings for countries in crisis.
We want good tidings for people who long to govern themselves.
We want good tidings for soldiers caught in webs of violence.
We want good tidings for all who grieve, and who see no end to grieving.
We want good tidings for terrorists whose actions spread fear and anguish.
We want good tidings for ordinary people who long to live in peace.
We want good tidings for children, who long to inherit a country
    where peace has blossomed.

Jesus, our Savior,
    you escaped Herod’s best-laid plans.
May your Spirit of peace be born again this year
    in the hearts of all who work for peace.  Amen.

Carol Penner, Canadian Mennonite pastor and professor
leadinginworship.com  source 
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Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.
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In what ways is the coming of Jesus the best news that the world needs to hear?
Who is one person that you can share this news with?

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Glide down into my longing soul

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​Simeon in the Temple, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, wikimedia commons
 
O sweet and true Joy,
O sweet and true Joy,
I pray Thee come!
Come O sweet and most desired!
I pray Thee come!
Come O sweet and most desired!
Come my Love, that art all my comfort!
Glide down into a soul longing for Thee
                                             and after Thee with sweet heat.
Kindle with Thy Heat the wholeness of my heart.
With Thy Light enlighten my inmost parts.
Feed me with honeyed songs of love,
    as far I may receive them
    by my powers of body and soul.

Richard Rolle 1290–1349 English writer, Bible translator and hermit
The Encyclopedia of Prayer and Praise
 
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Isaiah 61:10

I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
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What are some ways you can express joy praising God 
    as you anticipate the coming of Christ?

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Shine your Light through us

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Stained Glass Window via flickr CC BY 2.0​
 
O God, this Advent season is a time
   when your light radiates through the world.
Inasmuch as we can,
   let us be bright for you.

Shine your light through us
   as though we were pieces of stained-glass window.
Flow through us into others
   as the warm glow of colors seeps into a church.

Fill us with your light
   as though we were lighthouses on the shore.
Use us to guide others
   and to keep them from danger.

Set us aflame with your light
   as though we were candles, even candles in a storm.
Enable us to burn steadily with your fiery spirit
   and to push aside all forms of darkness.

Turn us on with your light
   as though we were Christmas bulbs
   all connected to one another.
Help us as a community of faith to celebrate
   the sparkling good news of your Son’s coming birth.

Be present with us, God, throughout the Advent season
   as we live and worship in our wait
for the One who is the world’s light.
   Amen

Glen Raisley
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Isaiah 60:1-3

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light,
    and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
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How can you join with others in shining the Light of Jesus? 

It is your home

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Bright moon, scattered stars; so solitary is creation.
The universe which God has created is especially
   silent on this night.
It waits with bated breath
   for the Lord of Creation to return.
The universe belongs to God,
   it is his home.

Silence reigns supreme.
The flowers of the field sway gently
   in the moonlight.
This night, the vast earth awaits
   the homecoming of our Creator God.
The vast earth and open fields belong to God,
   they are his home.

Bethlehem lies dreaming.
In his gentle mother’s arms,
   the babe sleeps peacefully this night.
The City of David awaits
   the homecoming of David’s descendant.
The town of Bethlehem belongs to him,
   it is his home.

My bones, my flesh, my blood, my lungs and my heart,
   were all made by his hand.
This night, my heart is at peace,
   awaiting my Creator’s return.
My heart belongs to him,
   it is his home.

Advent prayer from China
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Micah 5:2

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
    from ancient days.
 
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How do you recognize God’s presence in creation?
How do you see God’s presence in Jesus? Within yourself?

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bring Life and Peace to us

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O King of the nations,
You are the headstone of the glorious hall of creation.
You are the firm mortar which holds the building together.
Throughout the earth people marvel at your works.
But now the building is being reduced to a ruin by greed and fear:
 
Reveal yourself to mankind, 
    show yourself as the ruler of the world,
    demonstrate the power of your love.
 
O just and faithful King,
    you can unlock the prison-house of sin,
    and let us out into the glorious freedom of love.
Now we sit in darkness,
    grieving over the wrongs we have committed.
We long for the sun,
    we yearn for the warmth and brightness of your truth.
Open the gate of this prison, and lead us to your kingdom,
    which is our true home.
 
Come now, high king of heaven.  
Come to us in flesh and bone.  
Bring life to us who are weary with misery.  
Bring peace to us who are overcome with weeping,
    whose cheeks are covered with bitter salt tears.  
Seek us out, who are lost in the darkness of depression.  
Do not forget us, but show mercy to us.  
Impart to us your everlasting joy,
    so that we, who are fashioned by your hands,
    may praise your glory.
 
Exeter Book, c.960,  codex of Old English poetry
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Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
 
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Where is God’s life and peace most needed in your community?
Pray that the power of Christ’s love would be revealed in this situation.

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Come Thou long expected Jesus

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Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Charles Wesley 1707 – 1788 English hymn writer and Methodist
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Haggai 2:6-7 

This is what the Lord Almighty says:
‘In a little while I will once more shake
    the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come,
    and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.

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What are some of the desires of the nations that only God can fulfill?
How can you be praying for your country this season?

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