By Rev. Anders Nelson
Mabel-Henrytown Tri-Point Parish – Mabel First Lutheran Church, Scheie Lutheran Church and Henrytown Lutheran Church
This last Sunday, the scripture texts from the Revised Common Lectionary included a passage from the prophet Isaiah as the prophet was calling God’s people in the midst of exile into a better understanding of what it means to take up a fast. This passage from the beginning of Isaiah 58 is helpfully placed within our lectionary to help us begin to think about our preparations for the Lenten season. What does it mean to take up a fast? What are we to gain from such a fast? Why should we choose to deprive ourselves of something good or helpful? While we’ve been equipped with these questions, my favorite means of pondering this question comes from the liturgical observance of the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, Transfiguration Sunday.
Within the story of the gospels, this Sunday marks the day in which the disciples observe Jesus being transfigured on the mountain top, as they are invited to understand that Jesus is bearing forth the tradition of transformational change previously borne by the likes of Moses and Elijah. It’s a day of triumph and light and purpose as we prepare to descend the mountain with Jesus and set our faces towards Jerusalem and our observance of Holy Week after five weeks of Lent. As we descend that mountain, it is also the last Sunday in which we utter the word “alleluia” during worship. Within many mainline churches, the community observes a fast from saying the word “alleluia” for the 40 days of Lent. It’s a simple tradition, and one that might seem basic or easy on the surface, but it’s a fast that I think is helpful in understanding the importance of fasting in the first place. By keeping from saying or singing “alleluia” for 40 days, this word of praise we speak in abundance on Easter morning becomes that much sweeter. This word becomes more intentional. We understand the meaning behind it more starkly. It clarifies and enhances our celebration of God’s victory over death through the resurrection of Christ.
The work of keeping a fast is work of intentionality and reflection. Taking a fast during the season of Lent is not simply about denying something good from ourselves, like chocolate or soda, but should invite us into thinking about the importance of the things from which we are fasting or to help us to better understand why we do or say the thing we’re opting not to do for 40 days. This 40 day fast can be compared to a caterpillar going into a cocoon such that it might be transformed at the completion of its time in said cocoon. In a similar way, we are called to seek transformation and change through the intentional reflection of a Lenten fast.
As we prepare to take up this work in these coming days, it’s my prayer and hope that you might find opportunities for such reflection and consideration, dear reader. Whether the work of fasting is a familiar practice for you or something new that you might be considering, my hope is that you might consider the reasons behind the fast you choose. As we begin this journey towards our celebrations of the Resurrection, may the transformational presence of Christ be a companion for you throughout this journey.
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