I can’t believe Lent begins next week. I was gung-ho for it at the beginning of the month, but the past two weeks have slipped by, and now it’s almost here. And like every year, I don’t feel ready in the least. Ready? Sure, I have sermons to prepare, bulletins to get out and so forth, but that’s not why I feel unprepared. It’s the fast. It is Fastenzeit, after all. Of the fast, it is not the prospect of eating less that bothers me. It is the realization that I will be constantly aware of what I’m eating and how much. It’s the awareness, the watchfulness, the nepsis of it all that has me feeling like it should wait a while. Of course, that is one of the reasons for the fast: … Read entire article »

The Epistle for Advent 1 is Romans 13:11-14, which ends with the words, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14 NKJV). The Greek uses the word pronoia, which is literally forethought, planning ahead. Thus the English “provision,” that is, to provide for. So the Apostle is urging us to not provide to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. But I fear we often get hung up on the word “lust,” thinking only of sexual matters. The lusts of the flesh certainly include those desires, but also much much more. The desire to have a full belly, to eat are favorite foods, to drink our favorite drinks, to have enough sleep, to be warm … Read entire article »