February 26, 2025
March in Minnesota will soon be upon us, and with it a bunch of fun stuff: the state high school basketball tournament; Pastor J’s birthday (hahaha); and of course, Lenten soup suppers and services.
Soup suppers are the best; they’re almost as good as a Lutheran potluck—almost. And while for some people soup suppers are the main dish; the service thereafter shouldn’t make us go away feeling hungry either. For some people (and denominations), Lent is a time to fast and deny oneself; for others, it’s merely a time of deep reflection; and for some, neither. No matter how one approaches Lent, God would not want any of us moving through this season starving for His Word.
Many Christians fast during Lent. Fasting is a noble endeavor and takes discipline to enter into a state of denying oneself. Personally, I began fasting intermittently in January. Intermittent fasting can vary in the “how to” and for “how long.” Some people do so by eating normally for a day, then going an entire 24 hours without sustenance. Others, like me, condense their eating window dramatically for 16-18 hours daily. That said, fasting for longer periods (24 hours plus) isn’t for the faint of heart. Jesus would know.
The synoptic gospels tell us Jesus travelled into the wilderness after being baptized by John the Baptist. While there, he fasted for 40 days. (Jesus’ time fasting in the desert is the basis for Lenten season). Matthew, as Luke and Mark did, chronicled the story:
In this morning’s daily devotions from the Revised Common Lectionary, we hear of a time when Jesus encountered a group of Pharisees, Scribes, and Lawyers with whom He had harsh words. Luke’s gospel account begins the story this way:
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread”
Can you imagine how hungry Jesus was? Hungry enough, perhaps, to eat a camel’s rump roast. The Devil knew it too. Jesus was so hungry that even the rocks might’ve appeared appetizing. So hungry, in fact, Satan tempted Jesus to use his divine power to transform the stones to bread. And while Jesus was hungry, what he wasn’t was spiritually deprived or starved.
Although Jesus’ internal physiology was screaming for sustenance, his spiritual state would’ve been heightened and satisfied. And in his amplified spiritual awareness, he rebuked the one He created by saying to Satan, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt 4:4, ESV).
Jesus wasn’t starving for the Word of God. His relationship with the Father, through the Holy Spirit, sustained and empowered him during his wilderness period. Lent, for us, is meant to bring us into a similar experience. While Lent is a human-made tradition, if one so chooses, we honor God and Christ by relying on Him to nourish us.
While I’m not planning on fasting for 40 days as Jesus did; I’m planning to add onto my intermittent fasting two or three extended fasts. In this, I hope to get closer to God, and to be nourished by His Word. Perhaps you’ll join me.
No matter how you approach Lent this year, I would hope you don’t go spiritually hungry. God doesn’t want you starving for His Word, neither do I. Instead, make time daily to nourish your soul—in God’s Word and through prayer.
As you nourish your body, nurture your soul also. Don’t be left spiritually starving—either during Lent or any time for that matter. Instead, be like Jesus; rely on God: Father, Son, and Spirit, for all your needs; and that way, even the stones won’t look tasty.
I’m looking forward to seeing you during Lent: at our soup suppers, and also as we reflect together on Jesus’ journey to the cross.
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