Sometimes I hear Lutherans say, “we’re Lutheran, we don’t do that fasting stuff.” That’s not entirely correct.
Luther’s Small Catechism says that fasting “is fine outward training.” (Small Catechism, On the Sacrament of the Altar). But if it is “fine outward training, what does that really mean?
Fasting is a spiritual discipline, it is something that we do for the benefit of growing closer to God and therefore more willing and able to serve our neighbor. Other examples of spiritual discipline include time spent in personal prayer, tithing, time spent in reading Scripture and/or theological texts, worshiping with others, caring for poor people and the oppressed, and a whole slew of other disciplines. It is important to point out that the goal of these disciplines is never to try to win our salvation by ourselves, or even a piece of our salvation, but to grow closer to God and be more able to help our neighbor.
So how does fasting helps you to do these things? It can a.) help you identify with people who are hungry, so that you can better understand their plight and motivate you to help your neighbor b.) help you to think metaphorically about your own hungers and getting them under control, especially where they get in the way of your relationship with God, c.) free up time and money spent eating so that these things can be used for your neighbor. This can look like an actual fast (e.g. no food from 9am to 3pm) or fasting a particular thing (e.g. the trope of fasting from chocolate). However you choose to fast or choose another spiritual discipline during this Lent, we pray that it brings you closer to God and makes you more willing and able to serve your neighbor.
Perhaps you are choosing not to fast this year. That is completely ok, because your righteousness is found in Christ and not your own works. You also may consider another discipline. Traditionally, the Lenten disciplines come in a pack of three: fasting, almsgiving (giving to the poor and needy), and prayer. You could try all three or just one of them – or choose something different or nothing at all.
One of the biggest things to remember when you take up any Christian discipline is that you are a sinner. You are bound to fail as you stretch to reach new disciplines. This is actually a good thing. It reminds you that you have a need for Christ and the forgiveness He gave you on the Cross. All of Lent is about preparing for Easter – and there is no better preparation for that celebration than to see how necessary Jesus Christ is for all our lives.