Are you Practicing Ramadan?
So my brother-in-law Ben is practicing Ramadan for the next few weeks in Bellingham where he works as a pastor of the Sterling Drive Church of Christ. Intrigued? Enraged? Impressed?
Read the article that ran in the Bellingham Herald newspaper, read peoples responses, and also take time to read Brian Mclaren’s blog about why he is doing it. Are you comfortable with this?
Article about Ben: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/1045056.html
Brian Mclaren’s blog: http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/ramadan-2009-part-1-whats-going.html
Let me tell you my quick thoughts about the whole thing. Ben’s not a Muslim. He’s not even trying to agitate things or “stir the pot”. I think he is doing what he can to learn to listen to the world around him, to learn to listen to the people around him that Jesus loves and died for. Ramadan is a season of prayer and fasting, both of which are traditional Christian practices. It’s not as if he’s joining in with sacrifices or or pilgrimage or some sort of practice that all Christians should not already be doing. I’m impressed by what he’s doing and I’m looking forward to hearing his observations about it. It’s not a stunt in anyway, rather it’s a willingness to go to places that Christians have often avoided, to listen to people that Christians have often been unwilling to listen to, and an openness to feast with people that have been rejected in normal Christian circles. Take some time to read through the gospels and tell me that Jesus did not feast with the “worst of sinners”, that he wasn’t willing to go to places that were considered off limits to “good God fearing folks” (do some research about Caesarea Philippi), and that Jesus didn’t listen to those who were considered rejects by the religious elite.
peace.
Ladies and Lentlemen
How’d you like my title? Pretty witty eh? Sometimes I out due myself when trying to impress my readership. Can you feel it?
Do you practice Lent? Have you found it to be of value? I’ll be honest, sometimes I have a hard time translating fasting into a tangible spiritual practice. Often times during Lent I just miss eating sweets but I don’t feel any closer to God. Maybe I should fast from sinning, or I could fast laziness. Have you had this same struggle? Is the value of fasting in general simply the act of submitting yourself to something? Is that good enough? Or should I, when my hunger pains or sugar withdraws hit me instantly fall on my knees in worship or confession? That seems more spiritual right?
So many questions.
I’m a minister you know. I’m supposed to be answering these questions! I think, though, that I would be happy with myself if I always erred on the side of asking more questions than I answer.
In the end, for Lent this year, I’m going to try to fast from something that will be hard for me to give up, that will require changed behaviors (for better or worse), and will hopefully remind myself that I have the daily choice to submit to an all loving God whose desire it is to give deeper hope to mankind. I’m giving up sports. Sports talk radio and checking out my sports stuff on the world wide webula. Are you impressed? I didn’t think so.
