Fasting (Sermon)

In the third week of the Lent: The Rhythm of Eremos series, Rev. Kelly Hostetler taught on fasting as a “new but old” practice connected to Jesus’ time in the wilderness. She described physical and psychological benefits associated with fasting and connected the practice to Isaiah 58 and Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6, emphasizing that Jesus assumed his disciples would fast and that God rewards what is done in secret. She distinguished fasting from Lenten abstinence, defined fasting as not eating food, and noted its central place in Jewish practice, the early church, and church history. A testimony from Matt Schmidt described weekly fasting as part of a rule of life. Rev. Hostetler offered three reasons to fast: it is good for body and soul, it helps relate to God through bodily “hunger,” and it is spiritually powerful, including standing in solidarity with the poor and seeking God amid injustice.