1 Corinthians 10: 23-24, 31-33 and 11:1
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
1 Corinthians 10 was the epistle reading for this last week in church so as I started thinking about what I was going to say today about Fat Tuesday, or the celebration thereof. My mind went to the festival of it all and the reason people started this tradition. Traditionally Fat Tuesday started so that the Christians would eat all the foods that they were not going to be able to eat once Ash Wednesday began thus the beginning of Lent. To know why we fast during lent we must think of the season of Lent and what it signifies in our church calendar. Lent is a time when the church here on earth remembers the sacrifice that Christ made for us. Christ’s sacrifice did not just start on Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter. No Christ became incarnate, was fully man, enduring all the things man endures. He was not wealthy, He had to work. He walked around spreading the good news. And as the time of his glory came close, He went out into the wilderness for 40 days and fasted the whole time he was there. Satan even came and taunted him, offering him food and valuables and even the world. Yet Christ resisted, and set his heart on the will of God. See God is unchanging.
God has always wanted a relationship with us. Starting in the Garden of Eden, God wanted a relationship with Adam and Eve. He would come into the garden and walk around to be with His creation. Even after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, God told them that He would send the one who would bruise the serpents heal. God still wanted a relationship with his creation. God sent his son to save us from our sin. Christ did not come to call the righteous he came to call the sinners. Through Christ we are able to stand before the face of God and have that relationship God desires. God is unchanging.
You see, He expects certain things from his creation. He expects his children to take care of each other and care for one other. God sent His son to reconcile us to Him, and to show us how to love each other. For when Jesus was asked what was the most important commandment God had given his people, He said, “To Love your God with all your whole heart and to Love your neighbor as yourself.” God is unchanging.
To love your neighbor as yourself? That part is so hard. For most of the time I desire to love God and want to have a closer relationship with Him. So during Lent I tell myself no more sweets. I am giving up sweets for Lent! I will remember Christ and his 40 days in the desert and tell myself I can do this! Yet how does this help my neighbor. Well it doesn’t. I am to love my neighbor as myself. Ok, so I started thinking maybe I should give up something that would benefit my neighbor. Like my time. How does giving up my time help my neighbor? Well it all depends on where I give my time up at. I could volunteer at a local food bank, or food kitchen to feed the hungry. Or maybe something closer to home, I could give up an hour to join the choir at church. One hour a week, what is so hard about that? Or maybe I could volunteer to be a Sunday School teacher. That would only be a couple hours per week. Maybe I could stop saying I am too busy when the church is looking for volunteers or stop saying that it is someone else’s turn to help. Maybe when I see a new face at church I will decide I will talk to them. God is unchanging, so no matter how irritating, how loud, how smelly or leprous with sin, I think the other person is, I am to be the hands and feet of our incarnate savior.
You see all things are lawful, but it is not the law that gets us to heaven, now is it? It is our relationship, our faith in God. I believe that during this Lent time we should not just think about giving up something for Lent, but we should think about how we will strengthen our relationship with God. It is true God does not want our works, but he does want us to give our works to each other. He wants us to love our neighbor as our selves. Be an imitator of Christ. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Thanks be to God.
